I know those guys but in general lines man...
So pretty much is very subjective, from the 3 u mentioned Llewellyn is the one i like. Baum has a line to follow similar to vanilla speedwagen and the italian guy does good stuff but not at the level of Llewellyn IMO.
The states have the best custom building, but we have here 2 lines, rando/touring and racing.
Many of the american builders build rando/turing because thats what sales and thats their demand. Italians goes more for racing bikes, because thats what they are known for.
I know a retired master in chile (+65 years building stuff) that hated rando/touring bikes, in a matter of fact during all his career he built maybe 3 or 5 non racing bikes. His lug work was simply superb, the tips pf the lugs were like the tip of a needle, even the mitter work was done by hand and no jig either, old style builder. Even Fillet brazed frames built with no jig.
Well .. cheers
Originally Posted by
gomango
As an owner of a "American" custom bike or two, I mostly agree.
But we have to be careful with generalizations.
Have you looked at Marnatis?
How about Baum cycles?
How about Llewellyn?
"Best" is a tough statement, while "among the best" would work a little better for me.