I can't speak for them, but I got the feeling they were more interested in your direction than my idea of a sturdy little LHT you can pack out of sight. I hope they do it, cause they tend to nail it. I suggested, half seriously, Long Haul Tucker, since it could be tucked away, stupid name though, LHT is the best name since Stumpjumper.

I'm not too concerned about weight or materials at this point. It think one wants to work out the bugs cheaply, and then upgrade the stock. Aircraft Spruce and Specialty has chromo in the US. The BF may not be all that exotic the rear stays just look like bent tubing. If I was building the monobeam, I would wonder about butting it, too easy to damage, but I could well be wrong. Some of the parts in SB11's photos are a little nasty looking. We need to get Vanilla frames on the job!

Realistically for it to be equal or cheaper than a BF, say 350-400 retail, It needs someone to place a taiwan volume order. There are a lot of Bike Shops going direct these days. I have a friend who is into that for recumbents. He found a "handmade" german frame was sourced in taiwan. This thing must already exist over there, or they are seriously asleep with the volume BF does.