Frame building courses

[Narcoleptic Insomniac]

Have any of you ever taken one? Seems like it'd be a fun experience and you end up with custom frame at the end. I wonder if previous welding experience is necessary.

[lil bawbee]

tig welding especially around tube and in odd positions/tight spots isn't something that most people can do right away. prepare to end up in a laird frame meme

[Narcoleptic Insomniac]

Yeah, I don't think anyone  would expect to make a flawless frame on their first go.

[MilkyWilky]

I took the United Bicycle Institute frame building course a few years back. I did the filet-brazed steel course and built a cruiser. I also took a short TIG welding supplementary course afterwards, where you practice on thin walled tubing. I'm glad I brazed mine because for sure I would have blown fat holes into the real thing with a TIG.

Was a lot of fun and learned a ton. I still ride the bike all the time. One thing I'd recommend is knowing what type of bike you want to build, and being vigilante in making sure you will have the necessary tubing and fixins. For example, there was no butted tube short enough for the seat tube I wanted, so I ended up using a 1 1/4" straight gauge 4130 pipe and now I'm bound by the 26.6 seat tube post. That's the way she goes though.

[torontoflatlander]

The UBI is the only thing I've found that comes close to any proper frame building course. That or the Brodie course but it's not as in depth. Nothing like it in Canada either which blows.

[Dr. Steve Brule]

Not much use being here in England but this place looks cool: http://www.thebicycleacademy.org/

[Lo Pan]

I'm pretty sure brew has courses a few times a year.