I don't see them as mutually exclusive. Constructeurs like Singer and Herse gladly would build you a racing frame/fork. Sorry if it appeared that way. It's just that usually, constructeurs and framebuilders tended to specialize on their respective things.
Exceptions usually were when sponsorship was concerned: Herse built racers for his daughter and a few other racers he sponsored.
I also know of lots of framebuilders who are not constructeurs. Ask Rivendell or Richard Sachs to make you a bike with a custom front rack and internal wiring for lights... (It's just not what they do, nothing wrong with that.)
One person in the U.S. who appears to be both framebuilder and constructeur (lately especially) is Peter Weigle.
How about you? Are you planning to offer complete, integrated bikes? Sure would be nice, and I think there is a market...
Jan Heine, Seattle
>Why do you see them as mutually exclusive?
>
>Curt "betwixed & befuddled" Goodrich
>Minneapolis, MN
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Jan Heine" <heine@mindspring.com>
>To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
>Sent: Tuesday, June 03, 2003 10:36 PM
>Subject: [CR]Constructeur vs. Framebuilder
>
>
>> I just want to clarify that I don't consider constructeurs superior
>> to framebuilders or vice versa. Each does their craft, and each
>> produces wonderful bikes. For a racing bike, I'd go to a
>> framebuilder. For a randonneur or touring bike, I'd go to a
>> constructeur.
>>
>> Jan Heine, Seattle
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