Originally Posted by Poguemahone
"Why can't they make affordable bikes that are this beautiful anymore?"
Mostly the degree of hand crafting. The PXs, for example, were built in a seperate factory by Peugeot's best craftsmen. Silver hand brazed, not welded. Very well built bikes. Now it's much cheaper to design the bike and have it built by automation in China or Taiwan. You gain some price points but lose something ineffable in the translation.
I'd add to that, most people don't intend on keeping a bike for 10 or 20 years, something that's possible with a fine handcrafted frame. For most, bikes are seen as disposable and kept for a couple of years before the next best thing comes along made of the latest and greatest unobtanium material. I hightly suggested getting a subscription to the
Rivendell Reader if you want to check out cool lugged stuff.