Anyone ever build a bicycle frame?

I took two 2-week classes at United Bicycle Institute in Ashland, Oregon: (1) steel brazing bicycle framebuilding and (2) TIG steel bicycle framebuilding.

In each class, they walk through designing a bicycle frame, we do that for one frame that we design, and then we build the frame that we designed.

For the steel-brazed frame, they teach you steel brazing in the class. For the TIG frame, the school recommends prior TIG experience or taking a 2-day TIG class always offered the weekend right before the 2 week TIG framebuilding class (I chose both).

I have about 95 videos that I took in the classes. They are uploaded to YouTube, but currently they are private videos (the school’s idea in order to let me film so much in class). I can probably make the videos public now because UBI (that school) no longer offers framebuilding classes due to COVID-19 (the instructor left during the pandemic in order to become an RN).

One data point: if you know how to do it, plan 40 hours of design, fab & welding for one frame.

You would also probably need a chainstay fixture as well as a bike frame fixture.

A milling machine is helpful for the tube mitering, but one can do this by hand.
 
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When I go on a PC (which is rare, but I will do it today), I will see if I can make all of the videos public & then post the link(s).

EDIT: I am doing this on my phone. Search YouTube for “UBI Frame Building” if interested. It will take me awhile (2-3 hours because I have someone coming over) to make all 75 videos public. The longer videos will be done last.

LAST EDIT: I got all of them on there. All titles start with “UBI Bicycle Frame Building” and then a number. The lower the number, the better (or longer?) the video. My channel is Industrial Ebikes, & I don’t ever maintain the channel (who knows what is in the comments?).
 
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pontiac428 said:
Nice lugs there, baby. Tell me, are you a Tange man, or Columbus? Steel is real.
Click to expand...

There are no bad tubing manufacturers.

When I was first learning, I lived in the Cleveland area, and there was a great guy named Joe Bringheli that was local and distributed Dedacciai tubing. He helped me a great deal and I used Deda tubing for several frames. Later, after moving back to So Calif, I bought a few sets of True Temper tubing. The distributer was a company called Henry James, and "Hank" and his wife, ran the company. Both Joe and Hank & wife, would invite me into their homes when I would come to buy stuff. It's a great little community, full of fantastic people that go out of their way to help others.
 
That's really cool to hear about your experience building bicycle frames! It's amazing how helpful and welcoming people can be in the cycling community. Joe Bringheli and Hank, along with his wife, sound like incredible individuals who not only provided you with the necessary materials but also invited you into their homes. It's wonderful to be part of such a supportive and friendly community.
 
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