Originally Posted by
Robert Foster
My problem with flex was as I described it earlier with the chain rubbing the derailleur during hard sprints and standing on it over short hills. But I have no particular prejudice to any frame material only to how it works in a more modern setting for club rides and centuries. As I research this more I am beginning to feel like I am getting buried by choices.
As an aside I also am beginning to see why bicycle manufacturing moved off shore. Domestic frames are way more expensive than I thought and some of them take forever to ship. Just an observation.
Bicycle manufacturing moved off shore for three reasons, the first being that in North America (or Europe for that matter), you need to pay an employee about $20/hr in salary and benefits, in China you pay a worker at the same skill level about ¥10/hr at current exchange rates that's about US$1.565 and no benefits. The second reason is that in the United States, you can't have a guy on the shop floor pass gas without needing to fill out 15 forms for 13 different government agencies, and all those regulations and forms end up costing a bundle to deal with, in China nobody cares about the environment or pollution, it's all about getting hard currency. The third reason, Shimano manufactures most of their components in Malaysia or Japan, a short ship ride across the South China Sea and around Vietnam from Malaysia, and Taiwan isn't much further. Japan is about the same distance in the other direction.
I would assume you have a bike already, so set it up for club rides, then add a steel frame bike for the longer stuff, put on a triple crank and a Brooks saddle, maybe add a set of fenders and your all set, heck add a set of racks and your all set for a multi-day ride.