bikeworkshop
Senior Retro Guru
Paul at Ellis Briggs has some thoughts
We sell quite a lot of steel bikes.
People like quality steel frames with disc brakes, wider tyres, relaxed geometry, shimano stis.
They aren't interested in internal routing, and often indifferent to through axles - although that depends on how much "research" they've done in the Internet.
They do care about price - and hand brazing a lugged frame in the UK is probably twice to 4 times the price of a Far East tig welded frame of the same weight and tube quality.
If we want 1st world wages, we'll get most of our stuff made abroad.
There's room for specialists, but not mass production and the UK builders have to adapt to survive.