Originally Posted by
Andy_K
Fair enough, but if we're not the demographic for a high end steel frame with chrome lugs and a quill stem, who is?
Regarding the cost of a custom frame, I see your point but I think there's some point at which the target customer has enough money to say "If I'm going to spend X dollars for this, I may as well spend 4X dollars for that." Or, conversely, "I wish I could afford to spend X dollars for this, but I can get that for 0.25X dollars." In the first case, "that" is a custom frame. In the second case, "that" is a used LeMond with an 853 frame. But there are probably people in between for whom this is exactly what they want.
True, it's higher end, but not necessarily high prestige in the C&V world. There's any number of well made Japanese bikes that are as high end as their Italian friends, but don't command nearly the price or adoration because their brand and by proxy the legacy of racing just isn't as great. When I see this, that's what I think. It checks all the boxes, but I'm lacking that 'fizz'. For the price, you can have that grail bike with the fizz =)
I think this bike just needs a more homogeneous paint job to tie it all together and a silver groupset and non eBay special looking wheels to just be cohesive. I'd love to know the story of this frame as told by the builder, the painter, and marketing. I bet each story is radically different.