That was fascinating. Thankfully though, craftsmanship doesn't have to be just for the uber-wealthy and oftentimes the difference in cost can be offset by smart design, planning & a paring down of real needs vs. just wants. For example, Grant rightly points out that the quality of mid-line components is now so high that you're not really buying much more in a practical sense by spending 3 to 4 times that on the marquee products.
Is it better to have one beautifully functional bicycle than 3 sharply focused ones? What sensible compromises can you live with to make that achievable? On Monday, December 21, 2020 at 10:06:06 AM UTC-6 Steven Sweedler wrote: > This is a link to a recent NYer article about an NYC carpenter who builds > to a very high level for those with deep pockets > > > https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/11/30/the-art-of-building-the-impossible > On Mon, Dec 21, 2020 at 11:00 AM Philip Barrett <philipr...@gmail.com> > wrote: > >> If it was the 2019 tour you visited our house! We focused on the history >> somewhat & did go into detail on how they attempted to survive the Texas >> summers prior to AC. The tour itself raises tens of thousands of dollars, >> all of which is spent on local charities and schools and we thoroughly >> enjoyed opening our home for people to see. >> >> To answer your question; there are absolutely craftsmen today who can & >> do build with that kind of quality, unfortunately the market has shown >> little interest past saving money & getting more for less. Look to our >> endless suburbs for examples, you just can't physically build a 4,000+ >> square foot home for $500,000 and put anything resembling quality into it, >> the metrics don't work out. >> >> Thankfully there are still people who do appreciate quality craftsmanship >> & are prepared to pay the premium required to acquire such items. I would >> count fans of Rivendell in that category? >> >> >> >> >> >> On Monday, December 21, 2020 at 8:26:43 AM UTC-6 Paul in Dallas wrote: >> >>> Phillip, >>> >>> I really enjoy cycling down Swiss Avenue. >>> >>> For the unfamiliar it's a neighborhood just east of downtown Dallas >>> known for it's beautiful and classic homes from the early 1900's. >>> >>> Those classic old Victorian style homes are really remarkable. >>> >>> I'm glad owners have invested in making them look so nice. >>> >>> I wonder if there are craftsman today that could build with that level >>> of detail incorporating artistic style with functionality. >>> I would think there still are some out there. >>> They still do it with bicycles after all. >>> >>> We plan on a least one more >>> 'looking at Christmas lights' >>> excursions and will make a point to go by Swiss and look for your old >>> Santa. If I spot it I'll try for a picture and post. >>> >>> One Mother's Day I took my wife on a tour of homes along Swiss Ave which >>> was for some sort of fund raiser. >>> >>> It's impressive the details the turn of the century architects designed >>> into those homes. >>> >>> I learned before air conditioning was common they designed a number of >>> tricks to maximize cooling effects for hot Texas summers. >>> >>> Safe pedaling to all, >>> >>> Paul in Dallas >>> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com. >> To view this discussion on the web visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/f256afb2-a11f-4883-927d-81a14f546ff2n%40googlegroups.com >> >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/f256afb2-a11f-4883-927d-81a14f546ff2n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> > -- > Steven Sweedler > Plymouth, New Hampshire > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/a6d9a5f2-a3ca-412a-b268-eecac9f610f7n%40googlegroups.com.
