I just read this opinion by Richard Sachs in Handbuilt Bicycle News twice and I’m still not sure what his point is. Toward the end he seems to conclude: “My observation is that the average person wants a fast(er) track to the workbench, one that bypasses a true learning and mentored experience.” This may be true. Seems like everything is speeding up these days. Just watch this 14 year old girl kick Eddy Van Halen’s ass on YouTube. So yes, the world is changing, things are different now, all kinds of information is more widely available, and people find different ways to learn a skill or trade. But I also wonder: is a “a true learning and mentored experience” available today in the way it once was? And if you go to UBI or similar, go slow, build 20 or so quality frames for friends and family, is there a reason you shouldn’t hang out your shingle and try to make a go of it? Also, it seems to me that the world of framebuilding has changed a lot less than many other areas–just ask a musician or a writer. Mostly his article reminds me of this scene from Gran Torino.
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