So I’ve been asked, on occasion, a couple of questions regarding the building of bicycle frames. The two most common ones are:

1. Do you teach?
2. Where do I get started?

The answer to the first is a resounding “no” — I simply don’t have the time or facilities to offer an effective class. I’d also like more depth of experience, as I still find myself frequently puzzling over small issues and engaging in brainstorming to solve those issues.

In response to item #2, I will refer the “curious builder” to Lugged Bicycle Frame Construction, A Manual for the First Time Builder: Expanded Second Edition by Marc-Andre R. Chimonas, which will allow the reader to build a lugged bicycle in their garage, using a few simple tools including files, a vise, and a MAPP gas torch. (Click the image, or here, to purchase at Amazon.) By no means will this turn you into a framebuilder, but it will allow you to build a frame that you can build up into a working bike and ride regularly.

If you’re really dead-set on become a framebuilder, I’d recommend arming yourself with a copy of The Paterek Manual and finding a class or apprenticeship somewhere. (The class will be easier to find, but will cost you a few thousand dollars.) Tim Paterek’s book is the end-all, be-all bible of framebuilding, as far as I’m concerned, and a copy should reside in every framebuilder’s workshop. There are earlier editions available as a free download in PDF.

I’m also convinced that there’s a market for a book that lives somewhere between these two — something not as complex as Paterek, yet addresses more than Chimonas. I’m considering writing it, what with my abundance of free time and all. (Yes, that was sarcasm.)