Southpawboston, that is one lovely bike. I saw it here, and on Veloria's site.

But here's the kicker to all of this: I can't do the work myself. I mean, I can put wheels on a frame. I can put a new stem on, or add grips or stuff like that. But the pain/lack of torque-ing ability in my hands means NO real wrenching. I won't do it to my body. It just isn't worth the possiblity of a disconnected finger (they pop out with no real cause. It's part of the same reason my neck hurts when I ride the Panasonic).

There is no Creme distributor in the US. I would be ordering sight-unseen. I just haven't seen a deal like that, with those components, for less than $1000. I suspect the price on those will eventually go up, once they get US distributors. That bike is cro-moly, machine-lugged, kitted out with nearly everything I could want. I figure I could try a mixte build and dig myself into a $1000 hole, fast, just to get it to where the Creme already is.

But I likes me some vintage steel, yes I do.