Hi Mark, I appreciate your comments and certainly agree with their historical accuracy. I guess the point I was trying to make was not that the mountain bike industry "invented" TIG welded frames,etc, but only that they are largely responsible for the widespread acceptance of such in the market. For years after the Speedwell, Teledyne (both rather flawed) and Klien, the low temperature brazed, lugged steel frame remained the hallmark of a quality bike. And although I know there were high quality BMX bikes before the MTB revolution, I'm not sure they made much of an impression on the typical road rider. I just see the MTB boom of the mid 80's as the time when everything really started to change (and not necessarily for the better).
Best Regards,
Wes Gadd