Vanilla Bikes - whaddya think, builders?
 

A major poostorm has erupted in the SSFG forum (surprise, surprise...) as a result of a posting about some new bike pics on the Vanilla Cycles website. Some think Vanillas are gaudy, overpriced showpieces, while others say they're lovely, innovative, superfine racing machines. Much venom spit over the brazed bar/stem combo, pricing, and wait time.

So, framebuilders, please toss in your .02.

BTW, I'm a fence straddler. I think Vanillas, while his frames are overpriced compared to absolute legends ($2150 for a basic road frame and fork, no fancy lugs or paint) and sometimes precious-seeming (though that may be because the photography is pretty damn good), I think Sascha is phenomenally skilled for such a young age, and has exquisite taste.

I also think the over-the-top tastes of his customers may force him in directions that simply aren't my style. Oh, and I love the trike.

I think handmade frames are underpriced as it is. the market is saturated with builders who are willing to undercut to build a name while paying their bills with a non-framebuilding full-time gig.

sasha's sense of style and aesthetic are second to none and he deserves every penny he earns.

Well the one jab one can make about really vintage looking stuff is it's all copying existing styles, but he has certainly made his own statement within the form. I don't think his stuff is expensive, who is making plumbers wages in this business. All those micro details take a huge amount of time.

vanilla's are sex. let a thousand flowers bloom.

Vanilla's are worth it- the workmanship and attention to detail leave me inspired and awed at the same time.

You may be right about that. By "overpriced" I mean that Sascha's bikes are priced similarly to Kellogg, Nagasawa, Kirk, Mooney or Goodrich, all of whom have impeccable credentials and decades of experience, not to mentions mind-blowing talent.

Vanillas are significantly more than Kalavinka, Yamaguchi (the best deal around?), Davidson, Kvale, and loads of other asskicking builders.

I think he builds awesome bikes. I also think much of the premium paid for a "typical" Vanilla comes from all the fancy extras for which he can charge whatever he pleases, so long as customers are hungry. That said, I don't think Vanilla would crack my top 15 list of custom steel, if price wre a consideration.

I'm not sure what the question is. Vanillas are certainly well made, well crafted 'functional art'; price is dictated largely by market forces, and the people who buy them can a) afford them, and b) like what they bring to the table.

Variety is the spice of life, so if someone doesn't like brand A and prefers brand B for whatever reason, then great. Buy brand B.

Sacha by no means has a monopoly on stainless steel, but as I've seen it happen so many times on Internet BBS', every month or so there's a new 'Brand of The Month' or 'Lets Flame This Builder Month' and next month that will all change.

Exquisite work. Exceptional craftsmenship. Insane style. How can a product be overpriced if you have the consumers waiting to buy? There is nothing wrong with being appreciated through dollars. That being said, it isn't my style, but I certainly have to acknowledge his talent.

I actually went out and visited him over the summer, he does everything himself(minus painting, I think it is done over at acme).

anyone looking to buy a handbuilt frame should throw any idea of money out the window. I think people buying will be atracted to a certain builder over another for other reasons besides price.
plus, i think vannila may be my favorite.