I believe that for the sake of the argument, one of the more important facts has been neglected. How many bikes did Peugeot produce in 1979, and how many Raleigh? Was the number of Masis even close? Divide the work time of that year by the number of frames produced and you might get an approximate production time for each frame (maybe subtract longer cigarette breaks and the occasional strike for the french, ...). And don't forget that most of the workers were not artisans, but were metalworkers who did this to feed their families, and probably were not even remotely aware that 30-40 years down the road some out-of-shape, not-sure-where-to-spend-their-money, lug-sniffing (I like that one!), picky anglos would get to each others throats about the lump of braze the didn't bother brushing off. And they still had to do ten more that day before going home at ten in the evening. Surely a Brian Baylis can devote much more time to a frame than Jaques or Tom or Luigi, ever could. But then again that is reflected in the price.
A good bike is one that does what it should. Everything from there on is an added bonus.
or
Some people dig blondes, other redheads, others again brunettes. Would you want to impose your passion upon me? I might like it and take her away, no? Or worse, SHE might like it, ...
Kim
-- Kim Klakow
Diplom Grafik Designer Akimbo71@gmx.net +49172-1786481 Berlin - Germany
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