Richard Sachs, arguably the most lauded framebuilder of the past 40 years, builds just one kind of bicycle: a handcrafted road bike in steel, in any color you like.

Bicycle historian and owner of five handmade bikes, Jim Langley recalls his first encounter with “Sachs appeal” as a fledgling bike shop mechanic.

“I noticed how the tubes were cut. The threading. The fit and finish of lugs. The tips of the fork blades and the way dropouts were aligned. Running my fingers inside the tubes, feeling how perfect they were ... this was art.”

“It’s not art,” insists Sachs. “It’s a vehicle. It’s fit, design, construction and materials, in that order.”

Nevertheless, ornamentation has traditionally been the hallmark of handmade bikes. Bling is part of their appeal: jeweled head tubes, sculptural lugs and graceful paintwork of vanguards like John Columbine, Peter Weigle, Brian Baylis and Bruce Gordon. Ogling these wonder bikes, I felt like Holly Golightly nibbling carbs in front of Tiffany’s.

Just like a girl’s best friend, these bikes don’t come cheap. Prices start at between $500 and $5,000 for the frame and fork only. The price generally doubles for the completed bike. Most people spend upwards of $1,800 for the frame, then wait several months or even years for delivery. A world-class paint job by a master like Joe Bell can add “at least $1,000,” said Don Walker, founder of the North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS) and framebuilder since 1991. Four thousand dollars is the entry point for a Sachs frame, twice that if you want to ride it away – when your name finally comes up on his seven-year waiting list.

What convinces people to invest and wait for their very own custom or handmade bikes is the knowledge that these vehicles are being designed specifically for their build and riding styles. This appeals to men and women buyers who want a machine that fits like a glove.

“Until recently, most bikes were proportioned for men – the exact opposite of the way women are proportioned,” said Alan Scholz, co-founder of the custom travel bike company, Bike Friday. “The average height of an American woman is just five feet, four inches tall with proportionately longer legs and shorter torso. A bicycle should ideally not exceed 12 percent of a person’s body weight, which is difficult to achieve with petite riders.” With the appropriate tube and component choices, framebuilders can, for example, use smaller wheels and build bikes for those “outside the median percentiles: women, dwarves, older people, kids,” said Scholz, giving the handmade bike a “leg up” over mass-produced models.

Women framebuilders who focus on this “very underserved need” include 15-year veteran Margo Conover of Luna Cycles and former bike messenger Natalie Ramsland of Sweetpea Cycles. “Mass market bikes are sold on material (carbon! aluminum!) and whiz-bang ideas,” said Ramsland. “They can’t do nearly as much for a rider as a bike that fits perfectly.”

Paul Lui waited an entire year for his Brian Baylis road bike. “When I wake up on a ride morning, I decide if I’m in my Specialized mood, or Trek mood, or Baylis mood,” Lui said. “Baylis is for uncrowded rides with people I know, where I never need to lock up. If I crashed my Trek, I’d be upset. If I crashed my Bayliss, it would break my heart.”