My sole ontopic brazed bike is by former KOF builder Andy Gilmour of Tuscon, AZ. The more I look at this all Mavic bike, its balance and its (period) paint by Ciprian, also of Tuscon, the more it blends with my son's judgement (he's its rider) that it just flows, feels alive.
I wrote "former KOF builder" because most of Gilmour's recent bikes have been in aluminum, Whether because of demand in Tuscon for lighter frames or because Gilmour wanted to work in a different medium I don't know.
My point though, is that there are plenty of quality framebuilders. And constructeurs. As fitting is so much a part of the ritual and perhaps the rightness of the bike for a rider, what with travel costs, it is reasonable that custom KOF builders are all over the country. Especially with internet presence and pics, fame and celebrity can more easily become international. With that comes application of Zipfs law: celebrity.
For collectors, so many of whom are here: You've noticed that if you were a previous eRitchie client, your order is welcome. For everyone else, Sachs announcments guarantees his future, what with orders it will attract for the last bikes he will ever build, every one collectible. I'm sure that cyclocross rider/builder is amused at the irony of being a guy who uses up bikes, but not quite as fast as his clients buy them for their walls.
I'm sure there are worthy texts on the psychology of collectors and
users of fine crafts, as bicycles are, which better explain the
concurrence of Richard Sachs, Sasha White......and Ernesto Colnago (I
mean for those illustrate different dimensions of quality) in a
marketplace of buyers who everyday pay a premium for branding, and even
just pantographs-- machine-made signatures-- on OTHER mfgs and
designer's parts. And, maybe retired race bike frame builder Dave
Moulton http://davesbikeblog.blogspot.com/
If someone who trusts you is frustrated by the waiting time for a name builder, help him/her get a fine KOF bike made by someone local, good, and less known, before frustration leads them to pay as much for molded reinforced resin. Not different advice than they might heed in choosing a quality local theatrical production over the forgetable, box office smash movie at the local multiplex.
PS: Or even someone distant and good. If Hilary Stone recommends that Bristol firm for doing among the best restorations in England, can there be any doubt of the quality of their work, mechanically and aesthetically, in constructing new bikes? (Or bravo to Hilary for advocating for local-to-him quality he can everyday visit and confirm.)
said Harry Travis, stirred by:
Jan Heine <heine94@earthlink.net>'s message of:
Thursday 17 Jul 08 at 09:03 AM,
On: Re: [CR]Top line builders closing their order books
[echoed below, in part<=1]
-oOo-
> From my conversations with builders, they just don't see any use in
>asking people to wait 5 or more years for a bike. If the customers are
>active riders, then they need a bike sooner. Most racers will have
>retired from racing before they get the new bike! If the customers are
>collectors, they may well have moved to other fields of interest when
>they get to the front of the line. So in effect, an order for a bike
>that is 5 years out really is not an order, as the customer is likely
>to decide that they no longer want the bike when their time comes. I
>think the builders recognize this, and prefer not to take these
>"non-orders".
>For a builder, it is a nice situation. It's like the 2-year
>subscriptions to Bicycle Quarterly - they allow me to concentrate on
>putting together a magazine, and not worry about renewals as much. For
>the builders, if anything, there will be an increase in production -
>these builders don't have to market any longer, they can just
>concentrate on making bikes.
>This situation does provide an opening for new and less-known
>builders, and that is a good thing, too. It is very encouraging that a
>craft that was considered dying just a few years ago, now faces a
>situation where supply cannot meet demand. The appreciation of fine
>craftsmanship and classic bikes (old and new) has increased
>tremendously, thanks to this list, the Cirque, the Handmade Show and
>other venues.
>Of course, this makes it harder for riders who need a great bike. They
>need to look for the new builders, but of course, it is hard to figure
>out who is truly great and who just has flashy paint. Bicycle
>Quarterly's tests are intended to help making that decision, but of
>course, once a bike gets a good review in the magazine, the wait list
>immediately increases. (When we tested Peter Weigle's bike, the wait
>list was less than 6 months, and I hear Tony Pereira now is booked for
>over a year, too.)
>One other aspect is that most of the builders who are booked (with the
>exception of Richard Sachs) are constructeurs of fully integrated
>bikes, which are relatively new to this market. As more and more
>non-racing riders want a bike that is optimized for their type of
>riding, these builders cannot meet the demand. If you just want a very
>nice racing bike, you have plenty of builders who can deliver a frame
>in a relatively short time frame.
>Hopefully, as more builders enter the craft, there will be more
>supply, and wait lists will get back to a more manageable time frame
>of 6-8 months.
>Jan Heine
>Editor
>Bicycle Quarterly
>140 Lakeside Ave #C
>Seattle WA 98122
>www.bikequarterly.com
>_______________________________________________
HPT -- ----------------------------------------------------------- travis.dot.harry.trying.gmail.com DemostiX