Steve and all,
This is such a great statement by the Brit on what I feel is all of the mass produced frames out there. There is nothing like "old world" craftsmanship. More to the point, I dont know any builder out there now whose frames dont show at least some of his soul in his craftsmanship. Heck, I started a bicycle show on this principle. ( North American Handmade Bicycle Show...website is handmadebicycleshow.com )
Don Walker donwalkercycles.com On the subject of weight--contrast this with my experience last Sunday.
I had my chrome Hetchins MO out on the bike path by the San Gabriel river. A British guy on a modern Giant pulled up beside me and asked me to stop so he could look at the bike. He knew all about Hetchins, and was genuinely excited by it. Had to examine every detail. At one point he commented on his own bike--tapped on one of the carbon fiber fork blades and said, "Nice and light, of course--but absolutely no soul!"
Steve Maas
Long Beach, California