VYNL Bikes

[R3awak3n]

/\ 99% sure he is making both. Frank is hussling

[jtbadge]

Originally Posted by eBAUMANN

it would appear that way...dude is a legend.

Woah. Badass.

Originally Posted by eBAUMANN

the frames do look nice, but their cx geometry needs a little work #atmo.

That said...

Why anyone would pay $1799 for a stock sized cx frame when you could get a custom ZANCONATO for $1950 is beyond me...

I mean, Pro(bab)lly because of internet marketing buzz.

You could also get into something like a Rock Lobster for less.

[54ny77]

i could never get my head around the fact that those frames are around what, 3 grand or so? and built by a constantly changing list of contract builders/fabricators? the ride is always complemented here by owners, etc., which means they're designed well, but in relative terms, how are they any better than a rock lobster that's literally half the price and made by one guy who's been doing top notch work for a very, very long time? nevermind the value proposition of a caad frame, although of course someone looking for a custom alu. might not be looking at a factory-made caad.

horses for courses and all that, i suppose. owners seem to love them and that's all that matters. value is always in the eye of the beholder/owner.

Originally Posted by maxdog

They remind me of Gaulzetti's, one of the few bikes I desire, that I've never owned.

[eBAUMANN]

Originally Posted by 54ny77

i could never get my head around the fact that those frames are around what, 3 grand or so? and built by a constantly changing list of contract builders/fabricators? the ride is always complemented here by owners, etc., which means they're designed well, but in relative terms, how are they any better than a rock lobster that's literally half the price and made by one guy who's been doing top notch work for a very, very long time? nevermind the value proposition of a caad frame, although of course someone looking for a custom alu. might not be looking at a factory-made caad.

horses for courses and all that, i suppose. owners seem to love them and that's all that matters. value is always in the eye of the beholder/owner.

gaulzetti = branding, "custom" drawn tubeset, and geometry (experience)

why does a vanilla/SV cost what it does?
if you wanna buy fancy paint, buy a painting...

[tumbler]

I like 'em. Looks like a pretty nice offering, particularly if FTW is involved.

[hellvetica]

Originally Posted by eBAUMANN

if you wanna buy fancy paint, buy a painting...

Damn that is a good one. QFT. TY.

[adamhell]

i see them every once in a while here in san francisco. they look good to me, but i don't think i would buy one.

[gdw]

Gotta agree with 54ny77. Paying big bucks for a production aluminum frame doesn't seem like a smart buy when you can purchase custom frames from established builders for about the same price or less.

[ColonelJLloyd]

I don't really want that, but I do very much want a frame made by FTW. I have a pair of Lyotard Berthets that a previous owner hacked up by removing the side tab and part of the platform. FTW fabricated a piece to replace the hack job. It's perfect and you have to look close to tell they're not as original from the factory. The dude is as nice as he is talented.

[54ny77]

it sounds like gaulzetti's are custom made and done with custom tubing, so that's an added value proposition.

i thought they were just tig'd 7005 standard stock tubes, etc, so that was my reference for price/value. sounds like there's more to it.

Originally Posted by gdw

Gotta agree with 54ny77. Paying big bucks for a production aluminum frame doesn't seem like a smart buy when you can purchase custom frames from established builders for about the same price or less.

[sandyrs]

Originally Posted by 54ny77

it sounds like gaulzetti's are custom made and done with custom tubing, so that's an added value proposition.

i thought they were just tig'd 7005 standard stock tubes, etc, so that was my reference for price/value. sounds like there's more to it.

Gaulzettis are custom geo, custom tubing (Craig had a new seat tube drawn specifically for me, for example), own-design carbon forks, etc. Definitely highly custom.

[pasadena]

The best alloy frames nowadays are hydroformed anyway. That is a lot to pay for a 6061 frame.

for that money, I'll save a bit more and go for a IF or CK Cielo. The steel bikes are what you can't get from the big names and they ride so well.

[eBAUMANN]

Originally Posted by pasadena

The best alloy frames nowadays are hydroformed anyway. That is a lot to pay for a 6061 frame.

for that money, I'll save a bit more and go for a IF or CK Cielo. The steel bikes are what you can't get from the big names and they ride so well.

a cielo is almost $3k for a STOCK SIZED frameset...
that.
is.
nuts.
NUTS.

you could get a custom frame from almost anyone you want for that kinda money.

[Mzilliox]

Originally Posted by eBAUMANN

a cielo is almost $3k for a STOCK SIZED frameset...
that.
is.
nuts.
NUTS.

you could get a custom frame from almost anyone you want for that kinda money.

agreed, but some cats are always chasing value, i think maybe you are one of those cats... some guys like names, some like value

[chiasticon]

Originally Posted by FlashUNC

From what I've read they were made by Zen in Portland before Zen shutdown. Not sure if FTW is making them now, I'd be surprised if he was if he's also making Spooky's stuff. Only so many hours in the day after all.

And their marketing schtick behind "no good Made in the USA aluminum" is puzzling for guys from San Jose.

Do they not know Paul is just over the hill in Santa Cruz doing Rock Lobsters? Or Zanc back East does full custom aluminum for not much more? Or Low is doing batch production in SF for about what they're charging?

agreed. plenty of fish in the sea for aluminum frames now. and as eBAUMANN says, you can get a custom Zanc for just a little more. probably a custom FTW for about that too. I absolutely adore my Zanc road bike and would go right back to him for another, should I need it. or for an aluminum cx bike. dude knows what's up and he's a hell of a nice guy.

anyway, yeah I believe your first statement is correct. their road bikes were made by Zen but then they moved to FTW for cx bikes. wouldn't be surprised if they eventually have him making their road bikes too, since there's no Zen. I mean he started making vynl and spooky cx bikes basically right at the same time, from my understanding. so apparently there's no conflict, although that seems odd... handshake agreement from vynl not to use the same geo and anodize their frames? who knows...

livingminimal: yeah, my spooky cx bike is like riding a jackhammer. but it's only designed to be ridden for an hour, right? but modern aluminum is something else. my deda-tubed Zanc is hard to distinguish from a steel bike (like my Sachs); it's just so smooth... but it's way more responsive than steel I've ridden, when you start to really throw some watts at it. Zanc didn't build it with super-oversized tubes and design it for maximum stiffness though, so it's a really pleasant ride.