Emanual,
Please limit self indulgent rants. No one on the list cares to read this tripe.
Joseph Bender-Zanoni
Great Notch, NJ
> Peter Naiman wrote:
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > Charles; I've heard of Mario's work when searching for
\r?\n> > renovations for my bikes before they come to the U.S.
\r?\n> > Work in the U.K. is substantially less, but then you deal
\r?\n> > with shipping costs, but since I purchase most Hetchins
\r?\n> > from the UK, I have the work done in the U.K. My 38 Anglo
\r?\n> > Continental had chrome work done on the front fork, plus
\r?\n> > rear stays, with a two colour scheme with full boxlining
\r?\n> > and transfer application at a total cost of under $600.
\r?\n> > For the same work over here, it would have been atleast
\r?\n> > $1000 or more. Not sure why the difference in costs, but
\r?\n> > labor in the UK may be substantially less, shops may not
\r?\n> > have to deal with as much government regulation etc, and
\r?\n> > other factors.
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > As for Mario Vaz, I've heard varying reports from
\r?\n> > excellent work to fair at best, but everyones
\r?\n> > expectations can be differ. My understanding is that his
\r?\n> > work is very inexpensive. Mario may work at very low
\r?\n> > overhead but make it up in large volume. Even though his
\r?\n> > prices are very low, if he owns his building or his rent
\r?\n> > is cheap, and other overhead is very low, he may be
\r?\n> > perfectly content to charge his current rates.
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > As for rates charges in the U.S., each shops overhead
\r?\n> > costs differ, with location and other factors affecting
\r?\n> > overhead costs. In general I've found the prices in CA
\r?\n> > much higher than shops in the Midwest, but I'm also
\r?\n> > assuming that operating in CA is probably much more than
\r?\n> > in Ohio with rent most likely the biggest factor, but
\r?\n> > labor is probably higher on the Coast than most midwest
\r?\n> > areas.
\r?\n> >
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Addendum to Peter's post (and confirming his experience):
\r?\n>
\r?\n> USA'ians factor in ridiculous health care & education
\r?\n> costs, plus (unwittingly) huge costs of justice & bulging
\r?\n> prison systems, environmental protection regimes (a good
\r?\n> thing) and the ongoing price of far-flung wars in far-off
\r?\n> lands.
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Do not kid thyselves: these things add to the price of
\r?\n> vintage bicycle restorations. There is no free lunch.
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Excellent American paint job = nearly cost of a whole frame
\r?\n> UK-side now.
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Some day soon we may all be ordering fully chromed fancy
\r?\n> lugged butted steel custom frames from China @ $200 each,
\r?\n> by the dozen.
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Emanuel Lowi
\r?\n> Montreal, Canada (neither USA nor UK, thank G.)
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
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