for a grand you can buy a very good framed bike.
pretty light, pretty robust.
is the stuff above this any better??
or is it just pose value??
That's a tough one. As you say, £1k gets you a whole lot of bike these days! That said, if you were to pay treble that and have something built just for you, to do exactly what you want it to, I would expect it to be that much better. You can buy a suit from Asda for £50 or so. Or, you can go to your tailor (if you have one!) and have a suit made to order for about £700 to £1000 or so. The latter will fit properly, the breaks in the trousers will be spot on and the shoulders will fit just so. Also, it will have the raffish turnups I am currently trying to bring back in to fashion!
Equally, a bespoke frame, let's say an ultra distance tourer, will fit your body shape better, it will have the braze ons which you want for what you are going to do, and that has to be a good thing!
Pays yer money etc.