Originally Posted by
pallen
This is mostly true, but lets also not pretend that all those things that make the super high tech frame "better" amount to much more than an emotional decision as well. They guy replacing his 2005 frame with the latest and greatest from 2014, while getting a technically "better" bike is making an emotional decision too. Will he climb faster or get to the coffee shop faster than his friends? I seriously doubt it. Even in the TT world where shaving seconds really counts the frame is secondary to helmet, wheels, position and other factors.
So let the guy enjoy his custom bike. It might be technically lacking by some computerized analysis in a lab, but if its built by someone who knows what they are doing it will ride just fine. He gets to pick exactly how his bike will look, choose his components, and watch his bike come together into a one of a kind machine, exactly how he wants it. I don't recall any claims of this being the "best" bike you can ride - not everyone needs or cares about buying what is considered technically "best".
A good post and counterpoint...but with one elephant in the room...in bold above. It may or may not ride exactly how you want for two principle reasons:
a. ride is subjective and specific to ride weight and perception. (no test rides or do overs)
b. based upon discussion with the builder, the bike is built to a 'qualitative' target in terms of ride quality. The builder may miss this qualitative and not quantitative target for two reason:
1. he and the buyer many not have the same target for medium versus stiff ride quality target. It is a perceived or virtual target and not a concrete or quantifiable one.
2. a custom builder can't predict how a one off custom geometry will ride because the relationship between geometry and tube selection is too complex to predict this without building prototypes of a given geometry. As discussed even the smartest guys...teams of engineers miss the mark with much greater technical resources.
So, there is a lot of room to get it wrong.
Custom stuff, is a nice pipe dream however. Btw, I am the ultimate custom guy. I do build my bikes frameset up..personalize gearing...every component picked for its design qualities, I build my own computers because store computers are crap, and have been building custom cars and motorcycles since I was small and my career has been centered in product development. I create products for a living. Custom is something the average guy has no clue about...what the level of due diligence is to create something better than a production item. Its much easier to get custom wrong than right.