Originally Posted by
Doug Fattic
No I never had the slightest interest in making aluminum frames.
I figured it was an aesthetic issue since you definitely have a good bit of artistry and design in many frames I have seen.
I wasnt sure if there was much of a concern from a business perspective back in the late 80s thru early 90s about having enough demand to continue. Between aluminum as a material taking off and MTB bikes being the dominant category, I could understand if some builders felt pressure to expand beyond steel and lugs.
Its great that there has been a resurgence in steel and lugs to the point where it is a solid alternative with genuine interest.
One more question since I would consider you one of the more traditional builders- do you build/teach with thru axles and disc brakes? With Shimano having announced DA and Ultegra will be both electronic and disc only moving forward, there is little at the top of road groupsets that will be available with rim brakes and mechanical shifting.
I wasnt sure if that has changed how you are building/teaching, or if you have said 'nope, I will only handle rim brake and mechanical'. Typically class frames and ones you build are a labor of love and not inexpensive, so I would think higher tier groupsets would often be used.