Hi Jan
Well put. It just goes to prove that price isn't everything and 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder'!
Now here's something that is going to rattle a few cages...I've always maintained that the build quality of the majority of classic Hetchins is rubbish (and I've owned over 20!) compared with say, and exquisite Ephgrave No 1 Super.
Derek Athey Honiton, Devon UK
On Tue, Apr 27, 2010 at 12:42 AM, Jan Heine <heine94@earthlink.net> wrote:
> At 9:10 PM +0100 4/26/10, Derek Athey wrote:
>
> I echo your sentiments entirely Dan. Ray has done a superb job in taking
>> detailed photos of a superbly crafted frame. I have a Jack Taylor Super
>> Tourist cycle who frame is certainly styled on the same lines. The Taylor
>> Bros certainly emulated Rene Herse and Singer models in their own
>> constructions. But I have to say, there are details on this Herse that
>> leaves my Taylor behind.
>>
>
> It isn't fair to compare a Taylor to a top-line bike like and Herse or
> Singer. The Taylor Brothers were making bikes that were very affordable. In
> the interview in Bicycle Quarterly, they explained how they saw themselves
> in competition with Raleigh and other mass-producers. (And they also
> explained how much they were influenced by the French constructeurs.)
>
> Taylors ride great, because they got the geometry right. The tandems had
> oversize tubing, making them stiff enough for serious riding, something few
> other builders outside France were offering. Taylors came with custom racks,
> which few other builders in that price range offered. And they were easy to
> get, without having to go to Paris or write letters in French or whatnot.
>
> However, at the price the Taylors were charging, you couldn't expect finely
> filed lugs and all the details that make a Rene Herse special. If you were
> willing to pay 3 times as much, you could get a bike that was finished much
> better...
>
> As Ken Taylor put it at the Seattle Bike Expo: "Why would you file that
> fork crown? It won't make the bike ride any better!"
>
> Jan Heine
> Editor
> Bicycle Quarterly
> 2116 Western Ave.
> Seattle WA 98121
> http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com