They say a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. And I have two in the hand, both TiCycles. I see little need to look further.

One tie-breaker for me is that TiCycles wil build anything if you can convince them you really want it and know what you are talking about. That includes both concepts and details. They built me a road dropout fix gear specific bike with dropouts that are both as long as a track ends and allow the wheel to go just as far forward without removal issues by opening down. It included a chain peg so flipping a double-sided wheel is easy, fast and done with clean hands. (Also came with traditional fastback seat stays, not their trademark wishbone. I completely forgot I asked for the traditional look on our first phone call. Done like they build all their bikes that way.)

The first bike was more standard but still a few touches that were different. Rear brake is turned around, forward of the seatstay, something I started doing on older sidepull braked bikes a few years ago. Simplifies maintenance by putting the cables and adjusting screws on the same side as the derailleurs. No drawbacks. And it looks cleaner from behind.

They built both bikes with front end geometry I asked for, not what they normally do. Both bikes are quick, just like I love. Both bikes feel like they were built just for me, steering, weight balance, fit, 3 WBs, stiff enough to be a joy climbing, a blast over rough roads, clearance for the tires and fenders I use.

They are local and they already had built me several stems so I knew they were a pleasure to work with.

Ben