Originally Posted by
noimagination
No Richard Sachs, no Tom Kellog, no Dario Pegoretti, no Ben Serotta, no Brent Steelman ...
Not sure about Sacha White, Kelly Bradford...
Uhhhh what? Ben Serrota just bought back Serrota and is making frames again granted I do think he is working in Titanium these days. Tom Kellogg is not building bikes but is still advising in the industry and making his mark. Richard Sachs is not taking new orders but might still be building. Dario, R.I.P. but Officina Peggoretti is still building bikes in his honor. Steelman I am unsure of
However you still have:
Rodriguez
Independent Fabrications
Sklar
Stinner
Bishop
Waterford
Breadwinner
Co-Motion
English
Hampsten
Caletti
Yamaguchi (you can also take classes if you want to do it yourself)
Ted Wojick
Winter (on a brief pause)
Tomii
DeSalvo
333Fab
Frank The Welder (not steel but FRANK THE F'ING WELDER legend)
Bilenky
Rock Lobster
Pedalino
SoulCraft
Don Walker
Hunter
Nobilette
Just to name a few*
*just in the U.S., in steel or still makes steel (or FTW because he is FTFW)
There are tons of custom Ti builders and even some aluminum and wood heads and plenty all over the freakin' world. Custom bikes are not dead or passed some golden age. Yeah sure Dario, Bruce Gordon, Albert Eisentraut and some other legends have passed and certainly there have been some folks who have stepped away from the game but custom bikes and steel bikes aren't going anywhere.
My problem is who to pick? Seriously I see so many awesome frames and builders and I am like crap I want them all. There is a ton of talent from old grizzled builders to younger or newer folks to the game who are absolutely slaying it. Look at Adam Sklar he is not even 30 yet, and look at what he does with tubes.