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