Originally Posted by cudak888

It's a nicely sorted out build - though the by-the-numbers Merckx ripoff suggests a certain lack of imagination.

As much as I want to say nice things about it, the lack of lugs just doesn't cut it - for me, at least. The TIG welds aren't badly done, but it still reminds me of those cheap diamond frame fixies that flooded the market 10 years ago (which State most definitely was a part of), once manufacturers realized young folks were buying things that looked like C&V framesets.

I realize that you don't get much for your money these days, but - honestly, at that price point, I'd expect a retro frameset to come lugged - especially for such a limited run. Weird dropouts, a sloping top tube, a 1-1/8" headtube, or threadless headset - I can look aside to that, but TIG instead of lugs? Just doesn't hit the right nostalgia buttons. You'd think lugged would technically be easier to build on an assembly line too.

In some ways - this reminds me of the Raleigh SBDU replica debacle from last year, just in a more affordable package (and thus shouldn't be scrutinized as hard as the Raleigh) from a different manufacturer than the homage.

-Kurt