Details.

First of all, the march of time sees the creative minds connected to Wildebeest longing to explore other paths. The joy and satisfaction gained from seeing many members of The Herd riding their Wildebeests on all sorts of adventures can not be denied, nor discounted. However, what has ended up happening is that the key staff members here are all wanting to spend more time riding their own bikes, Wildebeests or otherwise, and less time wrenching, installing, adjusting, brazing and filing. Time is short.

A lot of enthusiasts see framebuilding as a cool, almost romantically artisinal craft, especially when one sees photos of builders wielding their gas flames or TIG torches; truth be told, the TIG'ing or the brazing is a relatively small part of the whole show, and especially for those of us who only braze steel, the builder spends a lot of time standing in one place, almost endlessly filing and sanding and cleaning metal. Framebuilding can be pretty hard on a person's body, too, and sore muscles, cracking fingers and raspy coughs are often part of the outcome.

As a builder who works every day to get people out riding bicycles - regardless of whether that bike is assembled around a custom frameset or a commercial one - I often tell my existing and potential clients that most people do not need a custom frame; more often, a rider benefits just as much from having an experienced eye and set of hands make changes to an existing bike for purposes of better fit, comfort and performance. (A less expensive option, no doubt, and welcomed by the majority of riders with whom I have dealt through the years.)

Your questions about bicycles are always welcome. If you are determined to own and ride a custom steel frameset, please get in touch. Even if I never build another frameset, my having done this work for many years has given me insight and knowledge which I see no reason to keep to myself, and which you might find most valuable. I know of a lot of excellent frame builders who would love to have your business, and I know of a lot of fine, commercially-available bikes and framesets which can provide plenty of happiness and satisfaction (and which can be built up, maintained, modified, repaired and reconditioned here at Wildebeest Bicycles' Vast Production Facility.)