I have a different point of view on this one... and I think that you folks may be missing the real reason for Cyclart's reluctance to do the job.

Those guys do some top shelf work, and they are justifiably proud of what they do. And in order to maintain their reputation, they can not turn out work that looks substandard... even if the customer requests it.

What if you request that they do the job your way? You get what you want... but you take the bike to the local club gathering. When you gaze on the bike through your sentimental lens, it looks wonderful to you. But to another critical eye, all they see is the scarred paint that wasn't stripped... the marred finish that wasn't covered with fresh paint. And Cyclart's name is quickly tarnished... all because they agreed to do the job your way.

I have a lifelong friend who does auto painting... high end stuff. He could make tons of cash by shoving quick and dirty paint jobs out the door. He can make more money per hour on quick jobs than he can on a $20,000 custom paint job that takes weeks of work to get juuuust right. But he refuses the quick jobs in order to preserve his reputation as a craftsman... he'd rather that you take your car to Maaco if you want a $300 paint job.

Maybe Cyclart has the same view on artisan work.