Theres a reason why a colombus SLX frameset made by Ugo De Rosa is better than a colombus SLX frameset made by a chinese mass produced factory
There's also a reason (beyond mere wage differential) why a frame made by an artisan is about 10 times the price of a factory mass-produced one. If there was a mass market for really carefully put together and beautifully finished steel frames, I'd take a £1000 Chinese one over a £2000 Italian, Japanese or Oregonian one any day. Anybody who still thinks the Chinese can't compete on quality with the best in the world is living in the 1980s. At that price point, though, buyers are happy to pay a premium for the illusion of superiority, the delusion that buying local is economically beneficial for their neighbourhood, and the experience of talking to the actual bloke holding the brazing torch in their own locale and language
Wherever you go, if you brief your manufacturer properly and keep on top of quality assurance, you get what you pay for. I haven't seen any real evidence that Dani gets less of what he pays for from his Chinese factory than anybody else buying frames made to retail at around £200
There's also a reason (beyond mere wage differential) why a frame made by an artisan is about 10 times the price of a factory mass-produced one. If there was a mass market for really carefully put together and beautifully finished steel frames, I'd take a £1000 Chinese one over a £2000 Italian, Japanese or Oregonian one any day. Anybody who still thinks the Chinese can't compete on quality with the best in the world is living in the 1980s. At that price point, though, buyers are happy to pay a premium for the illusion of superiority, the delusion that buying local is economically beneficial for their neighbourhood, and the experience of talking to the actual bloke holding the brazing torch in their own locale and language
Wherever you go, if you brief your manufacturer properly and keep on top of quality assurance, you get what you pay for. I haven't seen any real evidence that Dani gets less of what he pays for from his Chinese factory than anybody else buying frames made to retail at around £200