[QUOTE=rpenmanparker;19247699]
Originally Posted by
Wildwood
I know what I am talking about. There is no reason whatsoever believe a certain factory worker doesn't build just as good a frame as a custom builder. Believing so is simply an affectation, a pretense.
This is worth pursuing one more post.
So instead of 'a certain factory worker' (I have nothing against factories or workers having lived in those shoes) would you extend that same level of confidence to all factory workers that may be involved in building the frame & assembling your bike?
Having been a supervisor on an assembly line (silicon/boards/subsystems each in SE Asia), I can promise you manufacturing consistency from hourly employees on a 'labor intensive product' is QA's major headache on a day-to-day basis. Bigger process problems or materials issues come up periodically as well, but day to day consistency is not easy in a volume oriented environment. Facts is facts.
Crap local framebuilders only build a few before they go out of business.
Thanks.
Bye