I'll say yes to that--my evidence would be three names of many: John Cherry, Glenn Erickson, listmember Richard Sachs. I'll go with the idea that the type of lug manufacture doesn't dictate the work that will go into the finished frame. David Feldman
>
>
>
> But can't an investment cast lugset still be filed and indiviualized
> just as a stamped lugset would be? Couldn't a builder design
> a blank lugset and have it cast (which is supposed to make for
> a stronger lugset as well, no?) and then file each individual
> blank the same way he might file a stamped lugset?
>
>
> >--- Original Message ---
> >From: Richard M Sachs <richardsachs@juno.com>
> >To: Doland.Cheung@sce.com
> >Date: 3/23/01 10:49:36 AM
> >
>
> >
> >On Fri, 23 Mar 2001 09:32:39 -0800 Doland.Cheung@sce.com writes:
> >What does everybody think the pinnicle of the vintage lightweight
>
> >era might be?
> >
> >>>>during the mid 70s, as the 'investment cast' era was being
> > ushered in, bicycles would begin to lose their soul.
> under
> > the guise of new/improved/better/etc., the frame makers
> > sold the bill that cast pieces advanced the quality of
> the frame.
> > in truth, particularly in that era, all that cast lugs,
> one-piece
> > brake briges, plug-in dropouts, and other similar parts
> did
> > was reduce the handwork involved to produce a finely
> made
> > frame. prior to that, it was a thousand little subconscious
> >decisions
> > that occured by each framebuilder every single time an
> operation
> > or a sequence was carried out. intuition. experience.
> training. it
> > matters not what you call it. it was needed to build
> frames then.
> > when the little parts started coming from foundries and
> casting
> > houses, most of the decisions regarding interfernce fits,
> >clearances,
> > aesthetics, etc., were taken out of the hands of the
> framebuilders
> > and susequently were made by mold-makers. in time, all
> one would
> > need to build a frame would be tubing and torches. the
> phenomenom
> > of learning 'how to make frames' versus 'assembling frames'
> would
> > spell the end of the classic bike as we CR listmembers
> define it.
> > it might be easier to state that many feel that pre-fab,
> cast
> >pieces
> > are 'imitaion art'. i believe this is so. anything that
> can be
> >bought
> > by anyone or used by anyone cannot be defined as 'classic'.
> > please don't read too much in to this; i'm not comparing
> eras
> > nor saying 'us versus them'. i'm just answering doland's
> question.
> > e-RICHIE