Thoughts on the new Witcomb pricing?

I'm in somnething of a quandary.

I'm only into Witcomb's for a century, I could tell the daft old sods to shove it if I wanted.

I can't quite decide where i stand.

Historically, Witcomb was a fair size organization. Notions that Barrie personally built every Witcomb frame are nonsense.

If you speak to him and Ernie, they both feel pretty much shafted by the whole 80's-Taiwan-alu-mtb influx. Neither are they desperately keen to be selling £100 hybrids to the locals and repairing their shitbox bikes.

In many ways its a disgrace that they've ended up in such a hole. Their unbroken history both in ownership and even premises is unequalled in this City, this country, and probably globally.

reference to the atrocious new website will reveal that redevelopment of the Deptford site is afoot, to the extent that they're clearing out the overdue repair bikes etc.

I kmow I'm a bit biased, but the old duffers deserve a break. As it stands their legacy is a shitty bike shop in SE8 and some press clippings.

The price hikes appear outrageous, but the going rate for a Witcomb road frame was 8-9 hundred sheets. The track frames were bizarrely cheap.

Tony Mutton is, however, a cock.

A while back he tried to offer the bespoke paint thing, but nowt happened. His design for diversity nonsense must surely be motivated by the fact he's deaf, gay and Pagan. All fine and good at Islington Council, but hardly a recipe for quality frame design.

The Paul Smith Mercian was hugely overpriced and shite, but it served its purpose. The framebuilder and the suitmaker both did ok.

Dunno.

I know why I ordered mine and I know where I ordered it from.

I've ordered mine at a curious time in Witcomb's history.