It wasn’t so long ago that the majority of bicycles were made by hand, from raw materials, in places that aren’t China or Taiwan. While some of these artisans are still around, their wares are increasingly harder to come by, and to procure an example of their work means an outlay of time and money which is more than most are willing to commit. This is a problem with not just bikes; mass consumption is big business, not only in everyday necessities but for ‘luxury’ items as well. A bicycle can be considered a luxury item for some, so to bring them to the masses, they must be produced in ways that lower the cost of materials and labour to a point where the average consumer can feel like they are getting a quality product at a reasonable price. And they usually are.
They just aren’t getting anything unique.
Now that three of the four bikes in my possession are made by hand, I have made a commitment to only own machines produced not by robots, not from composites and not from ‘factory farming’ methods. While there are many excellent bicycles produced en masse, the little bit of personality that is instilled in each of my rides sets them apart and I know I’ll see not many, if any, similar steeds on my roads or trails. How many dudes you know roll like this?
Riding the cobbles of KT12 on my Merckx Team SC and KT13 on the Pavé steel Cyfacs re-opened my eyes to the subtleties of a well-made frame and the characteristics which can be incorporated into the bike by the maker; each one can be tweaked to offer a ride quality specific to each frame, each rider, even the environment in which they are created and which they are intended to be ridden. The Merckx was fairly hard to come by, and I stumbled upon it by chance rather than through any concerted effort to find it. I sometimes think it found me. It’s a bike I love to ride, but also to just appreciate its lines, its pedigree, its Made In Belgium heritage, no doubt welded by a grizzled Flandrian who cut his teeth in the very factory he still works at 40 years later. I’d like to think so, and there’s some small likelihood of it, at least. Maybe I will return it to Belgium once more, in Spring, from where its journey started and where it made its mark in history more than a decade ago.
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@DeKerryou'd should see the saddle on my TT bike - ISM Adamo. Disgusting - but lets you stay low for a longer time
@Ron I took my bike to that shop because they are a higher end shop. It got scratched while he was drilling out the busted bolt. And if I had received and apology and I might not be quite so pissed. But all I got was excuses. The bolt was weak, I had to do it to remove the bolt, if you can remove the bolt without removing the stem then tell me how to do it. It's not the size of the scratch that pisses me off, it's the attitude.
Speaking of beautiful handmade bikes, Easton are running a cool little comp, the Dream Bike Charity Raffle, with five custom builders from the Santa Cruz area giving away a bike a month... they're up to number three now, a sweet as fuck Rock Lobster. All the proceeds go to charity too, tickets here... Check it out!
Here's my second attempt to post pics of a couple of handbuilt beauties that i'm lucky enough to own.....
and #1.....
@seemunkee
No. I had taht crP with motorbike repairs in the past with stuff getting scratched or put back together poorly, with the. Excuse of "it's hard to work on". I don't give a fuck. You are amechanic at a dealer.
I pointed out that my wife fixed the headlight seal they could not get right. That shut them up. It's shite like this tha sends us to teh webz.
Question for the more knowledgeable:
Do any of the carbon hand made "in Europe" bikes not use Asian carbon? My understanding was it was pretty much all Mitsubishi or Toray these days. And, if they do, is other carbon as good a product?
I have previously posted the frame pics before but after a long wait the required length spokes arrived from Sapim and I have just built my first wheelset - 1125gms excluding rubber.
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@Cyclops Very helpful advice - nice one.
@freddy Freddy, how was the tour? I contacted Hugh regarding a repair - one similar to that that @biggies is experiencing but not as difficult to repair. He was very helpful and generous in suggesting how to repair the problem. As @Cyclops has been.
@cantona Time. Everything's made in their factory outside Lyon.
@Cyclops Thanks, one-eyed-one. I'll let you know how my attempts to fix it go down. :D