Who has had a frame made ?

[PH]

It was Thorn that put me off powder coating.

It's odd isn't it. My Raven's powdercoat wasn't great, not dreadful, but bad enough to be disappointing, yet a friends Sherpa in the same finish, from around the same time, is excellent. My three year old Imron frame (Before I crashed it) had a little nick on the top tube where it slipped against a concrete post and a scuff on the chainstay from the pedal of another bike carelessly lent against it.

[Cavemud]

What did you choose ?

Reynolds tubing via local framebuilder

did you get what you wanted ?

Sort of.

First offering came with wrong dropout spacing (requirements had been made clear). The framebuilder attempted to spring the rear triangle and cracked a weld, so ended up re-welding and respraying.

Internal cable routes had been provided via special frame fittings, but then the route around the BB was blocked by an over length tube, so some dremel work was required.

Paint job is the worst I've ever seen in terms of durability. Chips very easily and needs a respray after just three years.

Did you know what you wanted ?

Yes!

Is it the best bike you've ever ridden ?

No. Harsh ride.

What would you do differently next time ?

Buy off the shelf, or a company making 'standard frames' to bespoke sizing.

Who made it ?

Prefer not to say!

Have you since changed your mind and ordered something else ?

Yes. New frame is a Shand and I love it. Paintwork is excellent and it rides great.

how has it stood up to use ?

As above, paintwork was awful and chipped very easily.

Was it worth it ?

No.

what was the process like ?

Long and tedious with multiple false promises. Lots of chasing and patience needed.

Any advice ?

Try to find an off the peg frame that suits your requirements. It will be cheaper and quicker, and you can read reviews of that exact frame it advance.

I can understand the bespoke frame market for somebody that has unusual proportions, but if you're 'normal' so to speak, you may as well build a bike around something more readily available.

[mig]

i think that you need to know what you want the bike to do before approaching a frame builder and then listen to them.

first, of course, you need to choose a good framebuilder. that can be the difficult thing!

[slowster]

one of my mad notions -which is a twist on something that has been done before- is that to meet a similar requirement, I should take an old 'road' frame, equip it with 584mm or 590mm sized rims and tyres, and use SA hub brakes in it.

For a couple of years I've been thinking about doing the same with an old singlespeed frame which with mudguards only has clearance for 28-622 tyres. It's not a particularly nice frame but would make a good utility bike with wider tyres for riding on gravel tracks.

One of the things that deterred me was the fact that I would want a bottom gear in the range of 30 to 35 inches, which would require a ratio of less than 2:1, since I would want to use a 3 speed hub. However, from what I've read the SA 3 speed would probably be OK with a very low ratio, and I would be prepared to run the risk of breakage.

All that's deterring me now is the cost of the hubs and the fact that I would have to dismantle the rear hub first in order to fit the longer HSA808 axle, because my frame is 135mm OLN.

[Brucey]

….All that's deterring me now is the cost of the hubs and the fact that I would have to dismantle the rear hub first in order to fit the longer HSA808 axle, because my frame is 135mm OLN.

Yes, a SA 3s hub is quite able to tolerate low gearing and it will remain comparably reliable. Plenty of AWs have survived well in tandem use, although SA don't recommend it.

HSA808 axle will work with an NIG 3s hub. In pre-NIG 3s hubs, I don't think you can quite get to 135mm OLN unless the dropouts are very skinny and you put the NTWs inside the dropouts too.

Maybe you are thinking about rim brakes in which case the wheel is an easy build. But if you are thinking of hub brakes don't forget that SA do rear brake hubs for derailleur gears too; X-RD for screw-on freewheel, and X-RDC for 8/9/10s cassette.

I might have a good used X-RD3 hub here, and I could quite easily fit it with the longer axle etc if that sort of thing isn't your cup of tea.

cheers

[gxaustin]

Having bought a couple of frames that didn't fit very well I decided to have one built. (I sold them on) Then I read about a bloke who built a frame on a frame building course and I thought it would be a hoot to build my own bespoke frame.
There was a ten month wait, by which time a friend had sold me a Ti frame he had had built to have a relaxed position. It fitted me beautifully with just a couple of changes to the stem length for best comfort.
Come the bike build the dimensions of this Ti bike were programmed onto an adjustable frame and a few adjustments made before the data were loaded into an App and a design produced.
I chose 853 tubes and forks but with Columbus oval chainstays. It has a 1" steerer and very thin seat stays. It is lugged with horizontal top tube and is sized at 25" (630mm).
I enjoyed the build no end and was guided at every step.
The bike was painted by Argos. I obtained some 20 year old Mavic wheels which really look the part IMO and fitted 11sp Ultegra.
The bike is all I wanted and it rides beautifully. The only slight bug bear is that the paint chips relatively easily.

[slowster]

I might have a good used X-RD3 hub here, and I could quite easily fit it with the longer axle etc if that sort of thing isn't your cup of tea.

Thanks for the offer. I am wary of tackling a task like changing the axle, but I would want to try to do it myself. I've been toying with this idea for a couple of years now, and I suspect it will be another couple before I actually make a decision and do anything.

[mig]

is tubing still made in quantity?

[roubaixtuesday]

Having bought a couple of frames that didn't fit very well I decided to have one built. (I sold them on) Then I read about a bloke who built a frame on a frame building course and I thought it would be a hoot to build my own bespoke frame.
There was a ten month wait, by which time a friend had sold me a Ti frame he had had built to have a relaxed position. It fitted me beautifully with just a couple of changes to the stem length for best comfort.
Come the bike build the dimensions of this Ti bike were programmed onto an adjustable frame and a few adjustments made before the data were loaded into an App and a design produced.
I chose 853 tubes and forks but with Columbus oval chainstays. It has a 1" steerer and very thin seat stays. It is lugged with horizontal top tube and is sized at 25" (630mm).
I enjoyed the build no end and was guided at every step.
The bike was painted by Argos. I obtained some 20 year old Mavic wheels which really look the part IMO and fitted 11sp Ultegra.
The bike is all I wanted and it rides beautifully. The only slight bug bear is that the paint chips relatively easily.

Would be great to have a picture of your handiwork...

[gxaustin]

Would be great to have a picture of your handiwork..

Constructed at Bicycles By Design, Coalport by G Austin

[roubaixtuesday]

Would be great to have a picture of your handiwork..

Constructed at Bicycles By Design, Coalport by G Austin

Very nice. Might even fit me!

Mine from the same workshop, but NOT by my own hand (Rob Wade built it)

[gxaustin]

Mine from the same workshop,

Very nice,
Thats a big frame. Mine has space for mudguards, if I ever decide to fit them.

[geomannie]

Anent Dave Yates, I have just found this rather charming video monologue about him. Well worth a watch.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CNYso2BwAxk

[Shuggie]

Anent Dave Yates, I have just found this rather charming video monologue about him. Well worth a watch.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CNYso2BwAxk

Excellent, thanks for that. He made me a lovely frameset 20 years ago.

Hugh