here's something else to ponder.
there is no more commerce to be made in the bicycle industry
from lugged framebuilding. it's a non-ferrous world now, thanks
to the trends of the previous 15-20 years. some of us on this list
'love' lugs for various reasons, explainable or not, but the trend
towards other joining techniques has allowed other high quality
bicycles to be made more efficiently and for less money, tho' they
may lack style. but the newer models have "their own" style and,
cleary, the market has spoken.
i like what i do, and i know the other builders on the list like what
they do. by and large, we all live outside the lines. lugs, as a joining
technique, are part of a small world getting smaller. i think it's the
best way to provide a solution to the "how shall i join these tubes..."
question, but it is no longer the economic route.
i don't think people buy a bicycle anymore based on whether there
are lugs on it , or an imron paint job, or it's silver brazed, etcetera.
if folks like you and trust you, and you offer service, there will be a
line at your door. for the listee that asked about the future of it all,
or similar, i think the efficient route would be to spend as much time
as possible around the sport and its mechanics and learn about how
these things are really used and abused. try to get work on a production
line and do all the repetitive work possible. learn about setups, speed,
and efficiency.
with a base such as this, you'll be much more valuable in the case that
you do land at a 'custom' shop. if that occurs, your habits can be
honed in and your skills enhanced.
i've always answered all comers regarding life as a framebuilder and
all that it implies. i think it's the wrong 'row-to-hoe' in this era. the
commercial bicycles are so incredibly good that there's almost no
reason to go further than the mall to get your bicycle. surely, a far
cry from when we started, an era in which it was unthinkable that
you could get a 'good' bicycle without having it made by a framebuilder.
lastly, i would show anybody anything. but i would not encourage
anyone to pursue this commercially because they will ultimately
be competing with the cannondales, the trek, the bianchis, and others,
of the world, and these types of firms can and do manipulate the market.
to pursue this for other reasons, that's a different story.
e-RICHIE