Originally Posted by Wambat
I can't imagine when the expense of a custom frame is going to be worth the worrying about the inevitable scratch, bump, or wreck. he was a trooper about it, cheerful even (considering how he ate it). I'd be moping and whining for weeks.
Feh. A bike is meant to be ridden, even a pretty bike. That means the inevitable scratches and dings. If the ding in the top tube isn't that big, it's purely cosmetic and the bike can continue to be safely ridden. It only affects the resale value and nobody buys a custom frame with the intent to resell it.
And if it's structural, well it can be replaced for just a few hundred bucks. So while it's expensive on the front end, except in the event that it's totalled, an expensive frame can be repaired just as cheaply as buying or repairing a cheap one.
Now ask jrowedc about how he chipped the paint on his custom Kalakinka with a wrench while assembling it. That's a tale of woe, if you ask me.