OK folks - I'm gonna push some buttons and I'll see some flame - but here it goes. And remember - this is a general observation and doesn't apply to everyone.
Doug started the thread off right - by commenting on Brian's bike which is that start of the right direction. But KOF builders often crash and burn with the general public because the steel bike thing typically is focused on lugs and beauty and rarely on performance. How often have I heard in my conversations about how wonderful a certain tube set is, or how perfect the synergy of a given frame geometry is with a specific tire for a given event ride? Almost never.
A fair number of KOF builders (but there are plenty of exceptions) have lost or never had the yearning to really understand what makes an awesome ride (really the match-up of frame to rider - its all about the match). So when I look at photos from the handmade show and I see fancy lugs, great paintjobs, it is all evidence that to some extent the movement is sealing its own fate. It raises the status of looks, but downplays performance. Steel has an amazing ride that for most potential bike owners is the magic ticket. But builders do a lousy job of conveying that.
Many folks at the Cirque, I sensed, thought that Brian's bike was over the top - but he is trying to get a performance and function - so what if the bike looked crazy nice (or over done depending on your taste). Brian is trying to push the envelope. That is why I was so excited when I finally saw it in person.
Lots of folks out there will pay whatever it takes for a bike that meets their performance needs. For many high income folks, the perfect match is steel. But they want performance and smart design - I'm no so sure about the need for dragons.
Mike "about to get flammed" Kone in Boulder CO
> Doug et al.
\r?\n>
\r?\n> I think $10k frames/bikes can be built and that there is a market
\r?\n> for them, but from my limited point of view it is a currently a question of
\r?\n> marketing that limits such a frame from coming to fruition.
\r?\n> For example, one esteemed ex-listmember sells reasonably
\r?\n> priced frames (in comparison to a $10k frame) and has a 4+ year
\r?\n> waiting list on delivery.
\r?\n> Serotta (at one time a KOF builder, alas no more lugs), builds
\r?\n> an $8000 plus carbon fibre frame, and the buyers were lining
\r?\n> up when it was first announced.
\r?\n>
\r?\n> I truely believe the market is there, but for some reason
\r?\n> it goes untapped by the KOF builders (for the most part).
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Get the word out (and I don't mean to already
\r?\n> existing enthusiasts, thats like preaching to the choir)
\r?\n> and like the movie says "If you build it they will come. . ."
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Marty Eison
\r?\n> Frisco (not wine country), Texas