Bike Frame Building School - Instructor Paul Brodie UpdatesFlashback Fabrications Ltd.

A Pretty Cool Bicycle Video – June 2013

The Spokesman

“I simply had to make this video after meeting “James” a very enigmatic man who has taken it upon himself to collect one bicycle from each developmental epoch for future generations to enjoy, a kind of time capsule if you will!”

Music by Abraham Tilbury and Matthew Fischer.

I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I did.

Paul Brodie

Student Instructions – April 2013

For those of you attending any of my courses this year, I have some additional pre-course instructions for you. This information will help you come more prepared to build your bike frame, and will assist me in providing clear and precise instructions for you. I hope you find this helpful.

Hi Students,

Here is some basic information to help you prepare for Framebuilding 101.

Firstly, please remember this is Framebuilding 101, not Framebuilding 301. I know there is sometimes a BIG temptation to want to add as many features as possible to your frame, but this is not always wise. It takes most students the full two weeks to finish a basic frame without doing anything fancy. I don’t want to discourage you from trying something a little different, but if you take on too much you run the risk of NOT finishing your frame. If you are unsure, please email me and we can discuss what you are thinking.

TIRE SIZE: You need to know tire size. This means the actual diameter and the width. Better still, a cardboard cutout of the tire’s profile which lets you know exactly where the widest point is. This is very important for your full-scale drawing. For example, it is NOT enough to simply know that you are using 700c rims. Knowing the exact diameter and width will allow you to accurately draw the clearance for the chain and seat stays instead of simply guessing, which is not good!

FORKS: You need to know the type of fork you will be using. There are two measurements that are critical. 1) the offset, or rake, and 2) the axle to crown measurement. You cannot complete your drawing without these.

If you have a bike you are currently riding, it is good to bring that, if possible. It’s a good starting point for discussion of your frame drawing, even if you don’t like some of the measurements or angles on your current bike.

CABLE ROUTING: If you are using a front derailleur, you need to know if it is top pull or bottom pull for cable routing.

In summary, the more information you have the better. That way you will be able to focus more energy on building a great frame!

Paul Brodie

Course Recap – August 25, 2012

Hi Everybody.

Framebuilding 101 course #015 has just ended, and this is the 2 year anniversary of yours truly, Paul Brodie, teaching it. Every student has walked away with a finished frame.

People ask me, “Do you like teaching Framebuilding 101?” Yes! I REALLY do enjoy sharing my knowledge. I’m never bored, and it can be challenging. My students are the best: they really do want to be there. Class #015 had three students who travelled from Australia, Winnipeg, and LA. No one locally. In other courses, students have come from Calgary (3), Toronto (2), Bozeman Montana (2), Chicago, Bellingham WA, Germany, Greece and, of course, the Lower Mainland.

Below are four frames made by students. Most students have never brazed or welded in their lives, so there is a lot to learn in two weeks, and most students agree that time slips by very quickly. They build all kinds of frames: road, track, 29ers, cyclocross, an electric cruiser and, of course, Justin and his variable speed unicycle.

This is Dimitri’s frame. He wanted straight seatstays and to Tig-weld them to the seat tube, so I suggested he bend the tops inward to make a little more room for the Tig torch and to give a different look. I’d never done that before, so I get to learn too.

This is James’ frame. We talked about S-bend seat stays, and he liked that idea. However, after bending them he reversed them, and this is what he got. He’s running skinny 700 X 23 tires on this commuter/do it all bike, and they fit nicely. Never seen anything like that before, but I do like it!

Basically, if you have an idea for a steel hardtail, I can help you build it! Quite a few times a student will want some feature, and I will say, “well, we’ve never done that before,” and then I have to figure out how to help the student make it happen. Did I mention this is the perfect job for me?

Other news: UFV has signed up for NAHBS next March in Denver, CO. Guess I’ll have to build another bike.

All the best,

Paul