Originally Posted by
Zumba
I wouldn't dwell too deep into the "handmade" aspect of custom frames. It's done because of necessity rather than preference. With the exception of the hand TIG welds, none of the other processes are done better on manual machines than CNC machines. Doing it manually has the benefit of requiring a whole lot less fixturing.
There is a lot to be said for a "Hand Made" frame. That Frame can be adjusted to suit the rider and the care that is put into that frame as opposed to a Factory built one is far better. Only thing is- a Factory built frame will be as good as the robots can build it and every frame will be the same.
To me a custom Build is a hand made frame- Even if it is a standard Hand built frame and not modified to suit the rider- and the parts left to the selection of the rider. Could be a $500 frame with a complete Sora Groupset fitted- Or a darn sight more expensive frame with the top of the range overpriced individually selected parts from specialist manufacturers.