Monocoque has me baffled to the point that I think of it as just another ploy. So yes, Island and Jason, I'm being very fastidious, and knew I should pose questions here first before on a cycling forum - the brain trust of engineers and cyclists is very beneficial.
Turbo6 - yes, I've been thinking along those lines. I'm taller and bigger since my Colnago days, though still, that bike fits me better than the LeMond, and the Colnago is 21 years old. What do you think of the Serotta ti. I never knew they were American built.
Seven is the only personal framebuilders I know of that are truly touted here in L.A. But I've seen Steelman and others.
I found this link which shows a list of the frame builders in the U.S. Can anyone recommend anyone from this list?
http://www.sandsmachine.com/fbplist.htm