Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 19,344
Likes: 5,461
From: Rochester, NY
Bikes: Stewart S&S coupled sport tourer, Stewart Sunday light, Stewart Commuting, Stewart Touring, Co Motion Tandem, Stewart 3-Spd, Stewart Track, Fuji Finest, Mongoose Tomac ATB, GT Bravado ATB, JCP Folder, Stewart 650B ATB
This frame and question came up over at ****** Framebuilding a week or so ago. I've had a few postings on that thread and my opinion has drifted from my initial position.
At first I wanted to better understand the situation and didn't have all the photos of all the details. I was ok with some of the frame's "issues" (like the dropout/stay joints), made some waffling comments about the fillets finishing, made some comments about what was claimed to be the builder's comments about stress during brazing but wasn't sure about the top tube yet. Now I feel that this frame is a crude production, that it is a poor example of a builder's craft.
The various builder's comments as posted by the OP, the lack of builder's ID on the frame (the OP says there's some very subtle decals, but I sure can't see them), the general finishing grade of the frame, the asymmetrical condition of the top tube, the presence of what might be dents or evidence of pressure points on the top tube all combine to make me feel as I do.
The OP didn't spend much $, as the custom frame building market currently is, but still he has serious questions about this frame's integrity and is frustrated by the builder's seemingly lack of willingness to take ownership of the frame's condition. I suggested that at some point if the builder doesn't make some move to work with the OP that the OP take the only real next step he has. He should out the builder.
Those of you here who know me understand this is a pretty harsh position for me to take. I generally like the middle ground and try to offer both sides some slack as well as to share in the problem that we talk about. But this time it seems that the OP's worst "mistake" was to buy at the bottom of the market.
In my eyes the mistake the builder made was to let loose a frame that is pretty crude and like what a hobby builder might produce for their second or third frame. If the builder is good with this frame being a good representation of their work then the builder will have no problem with their name being outed. Andy