Re: Wal-Mart Italian Road Bike for $1198

Stephen Harding wrote:
> [...]
> Recently in my local paper, there was a story about some guy in
> CA who builds custom bikes for high end buyers (mentioned several
> prominent Silicon Valley types with big bucks).  A basic one
> speed bike might set you back $15K.
> 
> He only builds for people "he likes" and might change his mind
> in selling you the bike if you visit his shop to see how progress
> is going too many times!  You get interviewed before becoming a
> customer.
> 
> He of course gets custom fit measurements from his clients in
> building the frame and made the claim that a mis-match of even
> ONE MILLIMETER can cause physical damage to the rider.  That's
> how im****tant proper fit was!
> 
> BS!
> 
> I'd bet there are fewer than a handful of people on the bike
> riding planet (I'll throw in the bike riders of Alpha Gamma 5
> as well) who have suffered physical damage to themselves due to
> a 1 mm bike fit mismatch!
> 
> This guy is selling smug snootiness disguised as bicycle building
> elegance and performance to make his money IMHO.[...]

If the above re****ting (by the referenced local paper) is correct, then 
all this builder's customers are fools that are indeed being parted from 
their money.

Here are reasonably priced custom geometry frames made in the US: 
<http://www.gunnarbikes.com/custom.php>.

-- 
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful