Dream big!

Chrome Molly, I'll call a couple of guys I know that have Andersons.

I'll see if they'd be open to chatting.

...or better yet, call him. He's in St.Paul.

He'll give you directions to the shop, so maybe you could stop by for a chat with him directly.

He seems like a great guy.

Here's a link to his pricing schedule.

http://www.andersoncustombicycles.co...cs-Options.htm

FWIW Dave's stainless frames and forks start at $3, 175.

Dave should be on short list for anyone in the market for a quality lugged stainless frameset. While he's best known for his 953 frames, at this year's NAHBS in Sacramento he showed a KVA MS2 stainless bike.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d7...img7358med.jpg

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d7...IMG7361med.jpg

$2,000 - $2,500 is actually on the low side for most "name" builders and is not getting you near the more exotic materials. If you aren't married to an ultra high tech tubeset, I think you'd be pleasantly surprised at Daniele Marnati's pricing (yes, I'm a shill).

Heck of an idea!

Most folks would be extremely happy with a Columbus Spirit framed bicycle for example.

I know I am.

I'm awfully happy with my MAX frame and was thrilled with Daniele's work. There's just something special about a frame made by an Italian master when the tubes are pinned together and the lugs actually filed down. I also like that no one knows what it is...it's an interesting conversation piece and less of a target.

Easy to see why!

As pretty as they come, no doubt.

Max tubesets are goners though, aren't they?

I think I got the last one - but who knows what other goodies he has in there.

Btw Will he fit a customer at his shop?

torelli, Rivendell, Velo-Orange, Bilenky, Russ Denny, Colnago(Master frame), etc. Even better, try this LINK
Let us know what you decide to buy.

You know...I've never thought about it. I'd assume so, but most here probably aren't going to Milan just for a fitting.

A 953 or XCr tubeset costs around $600, while KVA MS2 is a little cheaper. Comparing Dave Anderson's custom steel frameset (high end non-stainless steel) pricing to a 953 custom frameset, he charges an $800 premium for 953. Part of that is the cost of the tubing, while the rest is the additional wear and tear on tools and the extra labor to get the lug shorelines perfect and polish filemarks since there's no paint to cover up blemishes. To me stainless is worth a premium pricetag over Ti, but YMMV.

Titanium doesn't look like this, and the Ti bikes I've ridden (Merlin and Litespeed) just don't have the ride I like. Again, YMMV.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d7...HeadLugmed.jpg

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d7...tCluster-1.jpg

That really surprises me Scooper - I thought those tubes were a LOT more than that. Compared to SLX/SL prices (not to even mention EL OS and MAX) from my youth that's a bargain.

As the original poster states he has at least 6 bikes from the 80's. The better question to ask would be what is lacking in your current stable?

I posed that question to myself recently. The result is a '72-'73 Colnago Super. And a pending brand new CF bike. I have narrowed it down to two, just have to decide, flip a coin perhaps.
One interesting comment was that after working out the geometries of the various current manufacturers that cannot seem to agree on how and what measures to include... I found that there are rounding errors of up to 3mm and when one lays out their position overlaying the designs... the size I would order is not the size I would have guessed. An interesting exercise.

We are visiting family, so this may be a unique opportunity.

Holy crap that's stunning. I know Waterford will do a similar build (Stainless and Newvex) but have no idea of the price. But I would not dismiss them simply because they are a multi-builder production shop. They have a deep institutional knowledge of framebuilding.

Who are you, my wife? Seriously though, that's an excellent question and one that I've given some thought to. Here are my 80's bikes in running state, along with what I consider them best for:

Trek 760 - on the large side, mile eater yet light and responsive. On the fence between a new bike or dressing this one out with the best of components and wheelset. Already brifterized and carries a modern wheelset - this is the bike that gives me pause for getting a high $ all rounder
Gitane TDF - 84. On the smaller to right side, and probably my fastest and lightest bike. I really like this thing, but it is a mutt component-wise. Great sprint bike.
Neither of the above two will go if I cash in chips to get something really special...

Others:
Trek 630 converted to a triple crank with friction bar ends. Sort of a spring or gravel bike, with pasela tg's on it. It is a nice bike to both look at and ride, but not if you're in a hurry.
Raleigh Wyoming with carbon fork, brifters, and compact crank - on the small side - I use this as my all weather trainer, and it sports lights in the early fall and spring.
Bianchi Rando - fenders on it, road triple, DT shifters, it is my all around bike for iffy weather. Very large for me, but it is comfy and has larger tires so my spring mile eater (the bike I ride most often when it's between 30 and 50 degrees)
Fuji touring series 4 - the bike I dream about taking an epic tour on. Rarely ridden. You could eat off it, it is so clean.
Peugeot competition 531 frame with simplex - a nice original bike - I ride it occasionally and intend to do full resto over the winter
Also have trek elance 400 and trek 412 - sort of my other bikes, often pitched to friends and relatives, nice bikes but they don't compare to the 630 or 760.

Some I've owned since new and other have followed me home. The 80's lives on at my place...

As for what's missing in all that, I would have to say that none of them save the 760 (and possibly the wyo) are the bikes I'd grab for a back to back century ride weekend. The 760 isn't a perfect fit, but it is OK. I've recently sold myself on compact cranks and would love a low maintenance bike that is also beautiful to look at and ride. I'm thinking I'm going to be getting (not sure when) an Anderson 953 and temporarily hijack the components from my raleigh wyo to build it up once acquired. I need to determine which bikes will be sold to fund. Thanks for putting up with my "dilemma"

Aaron, here's the 953 price list from Fairing. The price has probably increased somewhat since 2009. I get $518.28 for the TT, DT, ST, HT, 2 CS, and 2 SS. This doesn't include fork blades, BB shell, dropouts, lugs, fork crown, or braze-ons.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d7...ds953Range.jpg

Joe Bringheli sells Columbus tubing and he doesn't have pricing on his website, but I've checked in the past and XCr was about the same as 953.

The photos are of my Waterford RS-22. It was brazed by Dave Wages. ;)

Thoroughly jealous. You've sold me on stainless. Here is my Gunnar Sport. It's like the red-headed, TIG-welded, sloping top-tubed step-child of Richard Schwinn. You can barely see "waterford" in the dropouts.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Q...640/IMG027.jpg

The Gunnars are terrific bargains, and I think it's great that you can can order them with custom geometry. :thumb:

Finally got a chance to fully digest Dave Anderson's site. I am in love with the fillet brazed steel frame that is pictured. I emailed him and got a reply that he's out of town for a while. A metallic blue (with a touch of silver-grey mixed in) fillet brazed steel frame with a fully chromed fork. That's the one for me. I hope this works out.

I have a soft sport for the fillet brazed frames, and getting one in modern steel is lustworthy IMO. This will be fun.

Strap yourself in for the ride, it can be a while before you actually get that frame! It'll be fun and worth it, no doubt.

Mike Terraferma in Florida builds with OX-Plat primarily using both standard diameters and larger diameters, and his frames with custom design are from $2400 to $2900.

He makes excellent rando-style bikes and sport/road racing bikes.

I rode with a fellow yesterday that has an Anderson.

I had a chance to really look at the frame and you know what, I want one as well.

Anderson's work looks every bit as nice as my Kvales.

Just a different flair than Kvale on the lug finishing, but special none the less.

....and just as nice overall as the Sachs cyclocross frameset I am having refinished.

I think you are making a fantastic choice for the money.

The MAX tubesets are available again, both Ceeway and Nova have them and Bringheli can get them...and now there are Taiwanese/chinese lugsets for them (good or bad?).

BTW...I have lusted after those Anderson stainless framesets since Grady posted a pic a couple years ago...gorgeous stuff!