all what ugly braze-ons and and what overweight trackends? the ends don't look anymore "overweight" than the mercier and it doesn't sound like the person who created the thread is looking for a track bike so those "ugly braze-ons (water bottle mounts)" seem like it could be something that they would want. i'm just saying you can't compare apple's to apple's and pretend one is far superior. both of these bikes are at the same level of value and quality.