Originally Posted by
Jeff Neese
I challenge the "cultural heritage" aspect of framebuilding. Is it your view that the work of the old Italian masters, and folks like Tom Ritchey, Matt Assenmacher, Dave Moulton and others are all part of a handed-down cultural tradition? I'm a midwestern white guy whose ancestors came from Indiana and share no heritage or culture with the old Italian framebuilders, but I can certainly become a framebuilder if I want and I don't even need to visit Italy or speak Italian. Culture has nothing to do with it.
I would contend that framebuilding is simply a passion and a skill set that is shared across, and is independent of, any culture or heritage. The parts of it that are handed down (from master to student) also have nothing to do with culture, it's a skill and art form that is passed down from person to person, but again that is outside of any cultural elements.
I can learn Mandarin and put on a Chinese shadow puppet show in my backyard, too. That doesn't mean my actions are a recognized part of that highly respected cultural tradition. I think you're missing the point, but thank you for your feedback.
To expand upon this, I am not talking about frame building as a cultural tradition. I'm talking about frame building and all of the cultural phenomenon that occur during interactions around framebuilding within traditional settings. Read the post by
El Chaba post above about Alex Singer, or go find that long, wonderful thread about
poprad and his recent acquisition of an Alex Singer while living in Paris.
That experience is the culture that is at stake, and you cannot reproduce that in your back yard, sir.
Nevertheless, you can also purchase a wonderful frame from Cinelli and their big factory, but the culture in that regard is not the same as it is with Alex Singer - it is there, nevertheless, in the unbroken lineage of the skills being used within a particular place for a certain purpose, and with results that have endeared themselves to generations of cyclists. If you start building frames today and in fifty years you are heralded as a master and have the kind of accolades associated with such traditions, then you'll be part of what I'm talking about. But frame building in and of itself is not what I'm talking about, nor are the frames.
Culture has a presence that can be felt or ignored by anyone. It is perceived differently by everyone and has different layers of significance. You are welcome not to understand or appreciate what I'm talking about, but I have responded in order to try to provide some context for what I think you have misinterpreted in my pursuit. Thank you!
-Gregory