eddiebrannan

something i've been wondering about, and so i'm hoping for some knowledgeable input, especially from the builders, historians on the board. seems to me there's nothing inherently complex about a trackend, so why is it that they're specialized products that are bought in on higher end bike rather than produced in house? i can see why lug-making might be thought of as a specialized art, but trackends, whether cast or cut, aren't inordinately complex, so why would a company like Colnago buy their ends from Campy or Gipiemme rather than make em?

AfterThisNap

I would guess first that machining/fabrication is sepearate than welding/brazing. I doubt there is more than a chopsaw and a die-grinder in Colnalgo's welding room as far as metal cutting tools go. It's probably much faster for campy to forge ends in the same factory they're stamping out deraillers, cranks, and other components.
I guess second that they know people pay a premium for them.

visitordesign

it might just be an issue of not feeling a need to re-invent the wheel. if there are a few companies who make a part and sell it to you wholesale for less than the combined cost of hassle, overhead and labor might be projected to total to, why waste time and money machining something when you can just order a bunch of them and have them in a day?