Oh no, severe bike lust has struck again (and it's Italian!)

[Catrin]

Ahhhh!

Ok.

I'm going to buy it.

Just found out that I'm getting more than $1000 back in deposits from my last apartment that I just moved out of, so that puts me about 1/4 of the way towards the frame. I will have to save a bit - unless I can finagle a way into getting the cute bike shop guy to let me make payments on it. Still have to get the parts though, since right now I'm only looking at getting the Paris frameset and building up from there.

Heheh

See if he will take layaway, my LBS does as well as several others in my area. They don't advertise it but they do. In these economic times I suspect more bike stores do than perhaps once did, it never hurts to ask. This is how I purchased my custom Gunnar, same cost of your frameset. For you the advantage would be no concern that the frameset would be sold out by the time you are ready to pull the trigger. A frameset doesn't take up much storage space at the LBS and it is a guaranteed sale for them