I know there many frame building schools around. Out of the U.K. Or USA. Which is the one to go too?

I'm from South Africa. Not much around here.

Thanks.

Different schools have different ways of teaching and interaction with their students. Some offer training in other then steel too. Some schools have a few different types of classes, say fillet brazing instead of socket sweating instead of welding. Some schools are for longer or shorter number of days/weeks. Some are focused on getting one frame done and others are more about learning the craft/business. Some have lodging easily available, others you're on your own. Some are fancily tooled others not so much. And then theirs the costs and locations that are different.

So maybe a bit about yourself, your goals and current experiences, will help us guide you better. Andy.

Thanks for the reply Andrew. I like the old school look. Steel and Lugs with minimal add on's to the frame to keep the lines clean. Eg bottle cage holders and cable guides.

I've been a bike rider all my life. I have always wanted to build a frame from scratch and would like to do a course to do it right. I already have all my material.

I guess I like the idea of building a frame as you learn on the course.

Hope this helps.

Trev

Trev, I don't know anything about the framebuilding schools in the U.K., but Dave Bohm (Bohemian Cycles) has a F.A.Q. about framebuilding classes in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Denmark, Switzerland, and Germany.

Doug Fattic in Michigan, who frequently posts here, gets lots of favorable reviews.

Trev, the answer to your question is easy – come to one of mine . The goal of many of my students is to learn enough to make building at least a future hobby and if things go good start some kind of career. However when I started teaching frame building classes many years ago most just wanted to make a frame for themselves instead of buying one. For some that is still all they want to do. I get quite a few international students. They fly into Chicago and can take a bus or train the 100 miles to my town of Niles. I am fortunate that students can stay in the house next door and food options are within an easy walking distance.

There has been an explosion of frame building classes lately. Many students take more than one because they didn’t learn enough the 1st time around to get a sufficient knowledge base to meet their ambitions. I suppose about a quarter of my students have taken another class somewhere else first. There is a lot to learn. This gives me a pretty good idea of what others are doing. They vary a lot in quality and the educational qualifications of the teacher. Shop carefully. Experience and knowing how to teach matter. A student shouldn’t be part of a school’s learning curve. I do mostly 3 week long classes because I know how much time it typically takes for a student to make a nice frame from scratch. But I have 2 week classes too for those that can’t do a longer one. I think one of the best ways to judge a class is by looking at close ups of student made frames – especially before they are painted. Your question of which frame building class to attend has been asked and answered on many forums (including this one). I’ve not been shy about responding and a google search will find them. One out of that group you can check out with pictures is on the Paceline forum.

Just so you know, I specialize in teaching traditional lugged techniques and fillet brazing. Lug cutting is a specialty. Email me for specific class information. I haven’t gone out of my way to put up a website. That is a kind of filter that weeds out the casual tire kickers and gets me the most dedicated seekers doing the most research. One of the best things that ever happened to me was that I was able to learn from a master that greatly shortened my learning curve and got me started out right.