I want to know where you can get enough chrome Moly tubing to build a frame for 125.00
Cuz that's about 25 ft of tubing, and we could neverget it for 5 bucks a foot..
And all the bungs for 50 bux..?
Frank, you live in a small world I'm afraid. There are so many metal supply houses here in the States that you can order piece good to size, large quantity, small quantity, whatever. Here's a simple website from the home of NASCAR, Mooresville, NC. You can see clearly, 4130 in 1" is VERY AFFORDABLE. Heck, Hot rolled is even cheaper (akin to the stock frame). Even DOM is cheap.
https://www.stockcarsteel.com/4130-chrome-moly/4130-chrome-moly-round-tubeYou don't want to have to "hand fit" the tubing. The whole point of having CNC bent tubing is to have the geometry in the CAD file, and the intersecting notches CNC plasma cut at the same time. Tube bending shops do this regularly.
To Geroge's point, as I said, if Mirko had the engine hoops bent and notched here in the states, the balance of straight tubing is easily and readily available elsewhere. Yes, this notion is a "kit" to be assembled either by a welder, or a competent builder. Its NOT THAT HARD, FFS.
As for the mounting bungs, geez, simple proper wall tube, cut to length, and passed through plates and welded up. Really, you are missing the whole point I think. I'm not describing threaded bungs, I'm referring to the bolt mounting bungs.
Ok so who build a Rickman copy for 2500 , please let us know. I have no clue who does, but I can assure you, it can be done with some reasonable skills and elbow grease. The nickel plating requires professional service if that's a requirement.
But this idea that someone will build frame cheap, sell it to people that will flog it mercilessly, and sell it with a receipt, it may take a long time for that to happen. Frank my friend, you mistake my posts. I am not suggesting that a professional frame shop will, or should build them for $2,500 with their overhead and liability embedded into the cost. I was more describing "how it can be done" by a small group of interested folks with combined talents and common passion.
But if you figure you can do it cheap, why have you not done it already? Well I'll tell you why- even at 50% profit, (sake of argument lets call that $2,000) what is the total addressable market globally for such a retro, vintage frame? 50? 100? 200? I'd wager less than 50. But for the purposes of math, let's say 50x$2,000. That's $100k gross. Pay your overhead and taxes, and sh!t, I can't afford the pay cut. Would I make a few frames for close pals, charging them only my labor to weld? Sure I would. (And have). But to make it a full time, viable business, not enough customers out there.
There is simply too limited a market for anyone to do this as a full stop business (report frames). CMR makes great frames, as does Framecrafters, Roger Titmarsch, and many others mentioned. But they make them for many models and brands and numerous types in order to survive. And I'm glad they do, as they all do spectacular work.
Look at the bloke on this forum who did the HB-1 clone bike. I wonder if he sold any after that first commissioned bike... Who would spend the $25-$30k for a knock-off? Maybe someone, but those suckers aren't the masses.
I think you're right, Frank, 20 hours to notch and fit the tubes, and then weld them up. 20hoursX$75=$1500. Exactly what I said earlier
And the raw materials, and we are back to my original estimate of closer to $2,000 for a frame if done in a "kit" and "assembled" by contractors. My approach is a "group-share" project notion. Sorry if my posts created confusion, but that's what I interpreted this thread to be about.