One last rant on this subject.
Yesterday I took my chrome Rossi out for a spin, ended up at a bagel place in Manhattan Beach, an affluent seaside area, for lunch. A couple people saw my bike, asked me about it, and admired it. This happens almost every time I go out on one of the classic bikes--literally, almost every time! People in cars stop beside me at traffic lights and ask about whatever bike I'm riding. I get toots of the horn from drivers and a thumbs-up sign. And so on.
There is obviously a lot of appreciation for elegant, classic design and construction that shows a high level of aesthetics and craftsmanship. Here in LA, for sure, there are plenty of people with the money to buy high-end frames, and there is no lack of willingness to spend it. There is no need to expect people to support KOF efforts because of a sense of charity and good will, which, we all know, is just not going to happen, and certainly is not a valid basis for a business. The problem is to tap into that market. I'm not sure how to do that, but it seems obvious to me that this is the key to making a business out of high-end frame work.
Steve Maas
Long Beach, California