Serotta's new bikes?

[Dale Alan]

BSB bicycles are RED....

What a bummer,I hate red. Maybe Ben will offer other colors in the future?

[colker]

Originally Posted by tuscanyswe

Is it that hard for you to believe that a Ferrari is not the best option for all ppl trying to buy a new car to drive to work? or for their weekend get aways?

Is it impossible that an m3, bentley or even a Morris mini is for some a better and more appealing option?

Well, some will even prefer to take the bus. Taste.. it´s subjective.
Otoh it´s hard for me to believe that red tig welded steel bike justifies a 10K price tag.

And i don´t know why he cannot sell you the frame only.

[tuscanyswe]

Originally Posted by colker

Well, some will even prefer to take the bus. Taste.. it´s subjective.
Otoh it´s hard for me to believe that red tig welded steel bike justifies a 10K price tag.

Its hard for me to imagine any bike justified a 10k value.
In 5 years time that ben brazed bike will look alot more appealing than a 5 year old dogma, at least to me.. so value is just as subjective as better.

[colker]

Originally Posted by tuscanyswe

Its hard for me to imagine any bike justified a 10k value.
In 5 years time that ben brazed bike will look alot more appealing than a 5 year old dogma, at least to me.. so value is just as subjective as better.

It´s a tig welded steel frame w/ a red coat of paint. Give the option of frame only. It´s not a diamond ring nor a magic object capable of mysterious travels in space and time.
In 5yrs you will buy it used on ebay. How much?

[tuscanyswe]

Originally Posted by colker

It´s a tig welded steel frame w/ a red coat of paint. Give the option of frame only.

So?

The "others" are plastics moulded in a large owen in china? Whats your point?

[Big Dan]

Yeah, but they apply the decals in Italy......

[colker]

Originally Posted by tuscanyswe

So?

The "others" are plastics moulded in a large owen in china? Whats your point?

It´s seriously overpriced. Maybe you should offer 20K and get a different color.

[colker]

Originally Posted by Big Dan

Yeah, but they apply the decals in Italy......

And it´s bad because it was made in China?

[Mikej]

Plus the way Ben goes out of business / bankrupt every couple of years you can forget warranty problems.

[Jeff N.]

Originally Posted by vav

Pricing

FWW RB $10,000
FWW DB $10,500
BSB RB $13,000
BSB DB $13,500

In his dreams. Sorry. It kinda reminds me of the old joke about the dentist that charges a million dollars for a filling...all he needs is ONE customer.

[tuscanyswe]

Edit: ah yes thats poor with no fram only option

[Big Dan]

Originally Posted by colker

And it´s bad because it was made in China?

You tell me?

[happycampyer]

Originally Posted by colker

And i don´t know why he cannot sell you the frame only.

There is a very small number of builders who operate this way. Sacha White with his Vanilla brand is one of them--the frame and fork start at a little over $7K, but one cannot by the frame and fork alone. The parts specs aren't as locked down as these are, so there's more flexibility in terms of how much extra cost the complete bike is.

I don't know what the prices are for the various component packages are, but my swag is that it leaves a frame and fork price in the $5 - 6K range. So it's about the same price as a top-model Pinarello, not twice.

As compared to other custom steel bikes, these have to be among the most expensive out there. The Vanillas cost more, but are more elaborate in construction. There are only two or three other builders I can think of who command such a premium. The difference is that those builders have been honing their craft for decades. I just don't see how a tig'd steel bike made by BSB or FWW stand out.

[AngryScientist]

also - i see the writing on the blog page and all, but i want to believe that if these are custom made frames, if you call Ben and tell him "hey i've got the $13k in my hand, can we do Super Record instead of eTap, and we got a deal" - i dont see him saying "No".

[fuzzalow]

All bikes are made to order, built to the sizing requirements that you or your bike-fitter provide. However, since the design is intended as a fast riding road bike, I reserve the right to build only within certain parameters to ensure the bicycles both look and perform as conceived. This means no significant head tube extensions, no added braze-ons, etc.

Dear 'old Ben was never going down that shopping cart path ever again.

I rather dislike the pretentious rip off of the Italian vibe in the name of the bike. I wanna like Ben but there have been so many screw ups and ridiculous decisions he's made that there is nothing he can do that doesn't reek of something lacking credibility.

And although I am the last person to begrudge him for charging what he wants to charge for a bike, that asking price is self elevating and reflective of a builder of far greater stature and fame than Ben himself warrants, deserves and has earned. This whole adventure feels wrong to me. But in fairness, Ben has been on a completely different wavelength than me for a long time so it's perfectly reasonable that I don't get it.