Originally Posted by
DMC707
I think the DF4 shipped was around 1350 USD. Cost of a steel frame is all over the map -- $1000 is about the cheapest I've ever heard of , not uncommon for them to go for 3-4x that depending on the builder
When the DF3 was still in production, I thought the MSRP was around $2,000. But I guess I'm mistaken.
One thing to think about are your angles and measurements. I don't know who your builder is, but you should have a talk about those before (s)he starts building. Many steel builders simply use the same geometry as their street bikes.
If you don't know what geometry you want, simply use the geometry chart from well-known and proven track bikes like the LOOK 496 or Dolan DF3/DF4. That's pretty much like taking the pattern from a $10,000 suit and having a local tailor make it for you for a fraction of the price
Physics is physics. The bikes should handle the same way. That's what I did for my Snyder and it handled no differently than my more expensive frames.