Originally Posted by
sdodd
Just as a side note I talked with UBI a few weeks ago. I took a steel brazing class last year and was wanting to do the TIG Ti class next. For a variety of reasons they are stopping their frame building classes and focusing on the repair/certification classes. The last frame class will be a TIG Ti class right after Thanksgiving 2021. I'm on the wait list along with what was described as 'many others'.
I loved my UBI frame class! I'm disappointed they are stopping. However, I completely get it. Mask/distancing/density rules in Oregon since the beginning of 2020 have really hurt them, cutting class sizes in half. And when you own your own business, you make decisions every day balancing profit vs. the work and junk you have to deal with.
I'm not surprised that UBI is ending its framebuilding classes. There isn't nearly as much interest now as there was (although I got a lot more inquiries after Covid) and the latest bicycle technology is unfriendly to building steel frames. The number of people that already have or can afford the equipment to make a frame successfully with through axles and disc mounts is small. I'm sure they did the math and figured out they can more easily fill their mechanics classes (where many shop mechanics need to learn how to work on the latest stuff). And in reality a framebuilding class from UBI is just a good introduction to how to build a frame. Ron (the owner) is a superb teacher and is very organized but with that many students in a short 2 week class, it can only be considered a start on the journey to know how to successfully build a frame in their own shop. I've gotten a lot of their students and know where their knowledge stopped and what they needed more to learn to be able to do a really good job.