There are KOF bikes in the race world: Mariposa and Richie come to mind. I am sure there are others, but whether you'd call the races as getting a lot of exposure is questionable. Someone mentioned the exposure in the local shops. I agree this is a problem. One of the local shops here had a Waterford dealership deal, but you'd never know it: not one on the floor or nary a sign or promo material in sight (ok, i am sure there is some question as to whether you would call Waterford KOF or not; that's not the point). Shop keepers I have talked to cite the very small market for hand made frames and the small floor space. They gotta put on the floor what sells, what is desired by most of the customers who are driven by what they see in the ads. This is, as I see it, mostly an american problem: as noted before, in Bicycling you likely won't see an ad for a steel bike or one with fenders; again, this it the 'performance' driven market here. I believe any bike sale is a good thing, the more of us out there the better. And those buying bikes might mature into a customer that wants something better, something unique. KOF bikes, though, will always be a niche inside a niche market. Is there a way to speed up the wait time for a custom lugged frame? Sure. Panasonic did this years ago. You could get a custom sized bike, with a paint scheme you picked out, in about a month. Panasonic admitted they could turn them around even quicker, but wanted a bit of lag time to give the illusion of time=craftsmanship. But this to me is a far cry from having the uniquness of having a RIchie, Bayless, Kvale, Gordon, or Weigle built piece of perfection. I am willing to wait, and anyone should be if they are properly educated, motivated, and have the lust for them. Those of us who understand this are rare.
Ron Gurth too poor in Carmel, IN
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