thanks for the advice everyone. i made that crack about surly because i think its a shame they're just so damned ugly. i took a look at petyo cycles (the guy's a student at the same uni i go to) and it looks like a good bet. the 4-5 month waiting time sucks though - i'd like to have a bike built by the spring. doesn't look like there is much variety in the kind of frame i'm looking for, which makes me wonder if its a bad idea. . . well, we'll see - i'll post pics once its cobled together.