I'm no expert, but I owned a Team Romic and the lugs were chunky and unimpressive for a custom bike. I've seen two others, both also had lugwork that could easily be confused with mass produced stuff. It actually is comparable to the Romics I've seen.
Aaron Olk
Philadelphia
Matt Beecher wrote:
> I picked up a bike with the understanding that it is a Romic.
>
> http://s969.photobucket.com/
Matt,
I don't want to insult you if that bike is a favorite of yours, but I seriously doubt it's a Romic. The lugs on the blue bike are thick, with minimal scooping out at the sides, a type usually used for mass-produced frames where the tubes are not mitered to each other -- they're just cut off square, and rely on the strength of the lugs themselves to hold the frame together.
A good hand-built bike could be made with those lugs, but it's unlikely. A builder who goes to the trouble to miter the tubes wouldn't want to hide that fact my using lugs made for unmitered tubes. The thinner, more scooped-out lugs aren't expensive, relative to the benefits, both engineering-wise and to marketing appeal.
I believe that frame was mass-produced in a factory in Asia. The nice forged fork crown and Campy front tips indicate the fork is not original. I'll bet it was a replacement put on by the person who put the Zeus crankset on it -- both are parts you'll not normally see on a frame like this.
Mark Bulgier
Seattle, WA
USA