They were in production, but limited quantity given the size of their operation being 2-3 people. From a purely monetary value standpoint, yeah, you probably were paying a little more premium for the production costs that big brands would be able to absorb, but if you expand the value concept, they were fantastic. Crust was? is? a brand born from people who rode bikes all the time, loved them, and saw missing pieces from industry standards so they made bikes exactly how they would want them and they're not alone, many small makers are similar. That to me is invaluable. Those are the kind of bikes that I am willing to pay a little more for. I will pay more to support a business who designs and puts products out in the world because they are truly making it better, however minor that betterment is. Some big brands may have started that way, but it would be hard to make the case that they are operating from a standpoint more out of love for bikes than simply putting out new anything because they need to sell something.

In the end though businesses need to survive and frankly, you can do most things on most bikes. If you were buying based on monetary value any new bike isn't worth it. Buy something used, ride the bike for 20 years in 90% of situations. If you're buying a new bike, buy because you believe in the company.