"Jay Honeck" wrote:

Not too many make frames in the USA any longer - there are some
"artisan shops" that turn out relatively expensive frames, often with
aesthetic touches that can't be found on most "production frames"...
but the cost of labor, and probably equally important - the cost of
meeting environmental restrictions when welding and painting - have
driven most production overseas.

Hey Mark -- does your company make a decent (and affordable) folding bike
for pilots?

It seems like all the ones I've seen are either (a) way over-priced or (b)
junk. And in at least one case, both.

I've thought about it many times, but haven't moved forward on it
(yet). A folding titanium bike would be a very, very narrow niche
market and the set-up costs for building the frames would be pretty
high (which would of course put the bike in the "way over-priced"
category - at least from most folk's perspective.

I've thought about doing a "mini-frame version" - something that would
look a lot like a BMX bike with a really long stem and seat post,
putting the rider in a legitimate "adult position", but that would
break down to a much smaller package than a regular road bike or
mountain bike.

Mark Hickey