Who?
 

This has probably been done before, but in the spirit of the upcoming NAHBS (?... you know)...

If you could choose one builder to put together a custom frame, who would it be and what material?

Personally, I'm torn between a classic R. Sachs made of STEEL or a more modern piece, a carbon Calfee frame.

I'd be interested if people who are going to the NAHBS would change their minds after going to the show

I'd hand Martin Puryear some tubes and tell him to get cracking.

bilenky or oswald...

if i have some $$$$ when i need one next, my next frame is gonna be custom built here in PA.

oswald really intrigues me cause there are no power tools used in making his frames... cool stuff!

matt chester Ti

Jamie Swan, Paul Sadoff (Rock Lobster) or JP Weigle, depending upon how flush I was feeling. Likely True Temper OX Platinum with either Newvex or Prugnat 56 or 62 lugs (if lugged) or fillet brazed.

I'd like a matt chester.

individual builders? i'd pick either of the johnny's or vanilla.

for "full-time multi-person company" builders, i'd say independent fabricators as they're less than a mile from my crib and they're employee-owned.

someday maybe i'll get a matt chester 29''er, his frames are just awesome

If I had to make a decision today It would be a Jonny. I'm really like the work I've seen. Excellent craftsmanship, some nice details, lug cutouts, and polishing, without getting gaudy.

My vote would be for Steve Rex. Great builder, great guy and local.

I'd like to do it myself eventually

For a fixie it would be Don Walker... have to support a fellow Texan
For a SS MTB, it would have to be Don McClung

Pretty much hands down a Vanilla. There are a few that I've seen in the last few days here in portland that were absolutley gorgeous.

That said, every time I walk into my LBS which carries Calfee's, I have bad bad thoughts about getting Calfee to make a track frame with their bamboo construction. Talk about unique...

Me too. I'm designing my jig now and researching brazing. Can't wait to get started.

i'd go to yamaguchi's frame-building school and make myself a sick little bioconic RCX tubed, fillet-brazed number with some oddly functional geometry.

Most likely a Sachs (though I'll certainly be looking at all of the steel builders at the NAHBS) and I'd leave tubing choice entirely up to the builder. Any builder worth hiring will be much better at choosing materials than I.

I expect to tell a builder what my riding style is, how I intend to use the bike, what my expectations (i.e. do I care more about durability or weight, etc) are, my measurements, and any specific stylistic things (I hate sloping top tubes). Then I trust that whatever tube mix and other technical stuff they choose will be the best fit for my specific purposes.

There was a Calfeee sitting in Freewheel on Valancia a a week ago (or two). With the Reynolds wheelset on it, D/A crankset, custom one piece integrated carbon/bars set (forgot which company, but custom work to integrate them). Weighed about 13 pounds. I resisted the urge to get on it and pedal into the horizon. Though in truth, I woud go Sachs for a road/track frame, Sycip cyclocross, chester SS mtb.

A brazed Landshark with wacky paint job. 631/725

i actually went to sachs. i'm still tempted to bite the bullet and accept a 48 month wait, but in november, i needed to have a custom by mid-march, so i settled for something with a quicker leadtime for the interim and still think about a sachs at least once a week.

the guy's got style...

isn't it nice to have one of these threads without walker telling everyone what to do and think?

i figured DW would one of the first to chime in...

I'd build my own but I'd get geometry guidance from the best builder that would take my call.

Vanilla for the drool factor.
Spectrum for speed.
Material- stanless steel

for a SS MTB I would want one of these
http://www.jonesbikes.com/update/images/jones2-800.jpg