Richard,
I don't know as much about framebuilding as you do, and I appreciate your opinion. However, if the building process was truly flawed, the bikes would break. I have seen many broken frames, but I don't know of a single Singer that has broken, and I know many people who have been riding them hard for decades. I really think the focus is different there from what we are used to in the US - a modern American randonneur bike with zip-tied fenders and clamped-on racks may have a better-made frame, but to me, the entire bike counts. So if the headlug is filed a bit asymmetrically, I can live with that... (Even though I appreciate my chrome one all the more because it is spot-on everywhere).
As you say, I don't see how this method of making bikes can continue much longer. More and more parts are getting difficult to find, and the amount of handwork is just amazing. Ernest Csuka works most evenings until 8 or 9 pm, his son helps, too, and together, they manage to make 15-20 bikes a year. A new generation probably would have to get cast braze-ons made and streamline production... The bikes still would be amazing, but not the same.
I forgot to mention this in my previous post - to me, the final, and most important part of the experience of having a Singer is the ride. There are few bikes that are as nicely balanced and comfortable. I rode my ca. 1954 bike last weekend on our 200 km brevet. In the lead group also were two racers, on a Litespeed and a Basso (steel? with carbon fork). I felt my bike looked much nicer with its one-piece chromed headlug/tube, the slender fork blades and the little front rack, but that doesn't count much on a long day with cross- and headwinds in the company of fast riders. However, every time we got to a twisty descent with off-camber curves, rocks, etc., the racers lost huge amounts of time, and I had to softpedal for 5 minutes or more until they caught up. On the last descent, I didn't softpedal, but accelerated up the final climb and following relatively flat 8 miles to come in 5 minutes ahead of the other guys.
I am not saying it's all the bike - those racers could learn to descend faster. But I have ridden many bikes, and none are as confidence-inspiring as the Singers. (I haven't ridden a Richard Sachs, but I have heard good things about them...)
BTW, Ernest Csuka does not consider himself an artist. In the interview in VBQ (Vol. 1, No. 1), he specifically said that he doesn't think art and bikes go together. He said that anybody could do a bike like he does. The only problem is that it is a lot of work... I feel that is an understatement, but that is how he expressed it.
Finally, I forgot to disclose that I consider Ernest and Olivier
Csuka friends, and that I have been ordering a few Alex Singer bikes
for friends and readers of VBQ. So I am far from an unbiased source!
--
Jan Heine, Seattle
Editor/Publisher
Vintage Bicycle Quarterly
http://www.mindspring.com/
snipped from below: "Comparing a Singer to a modern American frame with investment-cast lugs and ready-made braze-ons is like comparing a 17th century painting with a photograph - it's an entirely different technique. To say that a painting is less art because you see the brush strokes makes little sense to me." --- --- --- ---
jan - i fully agree with you. i, too, often use the brush stroke/photo analogy. otoh, my observation was that the quality and execution of the torch and metalwork seemed quite entry level; i am not suggesting that there are structural problems, but on the surface, there were telltale signs of over- heating, and brass inclusions, and heat bands, and distortion on all the frames i was shown. personally, i felt that the mojo and history of the atelier and brand over-rode any of my professional biases, but i did see what i did see. in its own way, i thought it all added to the charm. i guess what i am saying is that despite the many generations seperating the styles and material choices between modern builders and those creating a mid 20th century timepiece like the singers, i was truly surprised at the level of - to use the word again - execution. while i feel sheepish about typing and sending out such a strong opinion i must reiterate that, had i the money, i would have placed an order. these bicycles with their lineage won't be made much longer. (jan - i hope you remember my contacting you in the fall about some of the observations i made onlist today.) e-RICHIE¨ Richard Sachs Cycles No.9, North Main Street Chester, CT 06412 USA Tel. 860.526.2059 site: <http://www.richardsachs.com>www.richardsachs.com pics: <http://photos.yahoo.com/bobbesrs>http://photos.yahoo.com/bobbesrs rants: <http://richardsachs.blogspot.com/>http://richardsachs.blogspot.com/
On Wed, 24 Mar 2004 17:39:44 -0800 Jan Heine <<mailto:heine93@earthlink.net>heine93@earthlink.net> writes: With Singers, quality depends, as Dirk said. Even the custom-built, top-of-the-line randonneur bikes vary a bit. Some are finer than others. My 1962 is one of the nicest bikes I have seen anywhere, from any era (see VBQ web site under "Image Archive" or VBQ vol. 1, No. 1 for a full feature). When you consider that the lugs have been built up and filed to shape by hand and that the braze-ons all originated as pieces of tubing and rod, you appreciate it even more. Even today, it is amazing how few parts go into a Singer frame and rack - almost everything is shaped and filed and machined by hand.
That 1962 bike was ordered by a guy who already had 4 Singers - that was his retirement gift. He didn't ride much thereafter, so I am lucky to get it well-preserved. Also, the 1960s were a time when there were very few orders, so more time was spent on each.
The bikes I saw being made in past years for friends and VBQ readers also were top-notch, while at the same time, a frame for a Japanese customer with a lot of very specific requests was, well, I could see Ernest Csuka was getting frustrated with it. As always, I depends who orders them... I have a 1985 bike that was not so great until I sent it back for a repaint, and they spent quite some time filing it, so now it's gorgeous. The original owner was a guy with money, but somehow didn't hit it off with the Csuka brothers... "He was not a rider," Ernest Csuka told me disdainfully.
Comparing a Singer to a modern American frame with investment-cast lugs and ready-made braze-ons is like comparing a 17th century painting with a photograph - it's an entirely different technique. To say that a painting is less art because you see the brush strokes makes little sense to me.
As far as the lugs go - the ones I saw were ready-made lugs, to which longer points had been welded. Then they are built up with brass for the smooth radius (a technique like fillet-brazing). Then they are used to make the frame.
I agree with Richard that a racing Singer doesn't have that much appeal. The appeal lies in the entirety of the randonneur or camping bike, its racks, braze-ons, little pieces and how everything fits together seamlessly. That is something I have not yet seen equaled elsewhere in recent years.
--
Jan Heine, Seattle
Editor/Publisher
Vintage Bicycle Quarterly
<http://www.mindspring.com/~heine/bikesite/bikesite/>http://www.mindspring.com/~heine/bikesite/bikesite/