Geoff Roberts Framebuilding course - first and second, and third frames. And fourth (now finished). And fifth.

Never mind the pin striping, the paint itself ain't half bad. Good effort DB. Did you get it that tidy straight out of the gun or was there lots of flatting?

Straight outta the gun. No flatting involved. I should've, and there's still a tube of Farecla G3 in the back of the car because I'd planned to, but I couldn't be arsed, so I didn't.

Looks good enough to me. You should have a mid-life crisis and start a bespoke bike building company. Just make sure you let the customers choose their own colour schemes.

Nah, Geoff asked the other day if I had any pretensions to becoming a professional framebuilder. I reassured him I had none. Dealing with stroppy and demanding clients while working hard for peanuts doesn't seem appealing.

Not if you put it like that.

But if you spice it up a little:

Former hotshot 40-something London barrister @danstuff was growing tired of his long commute and the silly wigs and in 2016 decided to retire to the Tuscan hills to perfect his hobby of frame building. He now spends sunny mornings riding his bikes and long, relaxed afternoons building exceptional steel frames in the stone barn behind his farmhouse, stopping occasionally to cool off in the pool or for some yoga. Most evenings he rides into the village to drink wine and put the world to rights with the locals.

He builds and hand paints only 12 frames a year, at a price of €4000, and his bikes have fast become considered among the most exclusive and beautiful that money can buy. Just don't ask him to line the lugs.

I would like to buy one , thank you

Photos from the first day of the course (second time for me, first for @Cycliste).

Here's the front triangle of my bike, after I've mitred the main tubes.

Paragon Machine Works 44mm ID headtube and BB shell, Spirit 38mm downtube, Max top tube (but reversed so that the wide bit when viewed from above is at the head tube and the thin bit is at the seat tube) and a 28.6mm Columbus Life MTB externally butted seat tube. Mitering the bi-ovalised top tube by hand was a total swine (particularly as the frame is going to have a sloping top tube) but I got there eventually.

Because of the non-standard nature of the frame, I'm being allowed to use one of the Anvil fixtures rather than the standard Academy jigs. It's very nice. I want one.

Mitering the chainstays wasn't much fun either, but again, I got there eventually. This isn't quite the final fit, as I got the gap on the DS chain stay a bit tighter than it is the photo. Honest.

By the end of the second day, I'd finished fillet brazing the front triangle, I'd tacked the chain stays into place and was starting to think about the seat stays. More to follow on that front...

In the meantime, @Cycliste had mitered her main tubes and was busy brazing the front triangle, with guidance from Sam, Enigma's junior chap and Geoff's former trainee.

Result at the end of the first day - a brazed front triangle.

More to follow...

Sadly, his PR chap takes 60% of the gross profit to come up with such elegant bullshit, so he actually lives off the contents of local bins and begs for money to buy silver braze...

It's a lovely story. But the reason I like doing this is because it isn't work. If it became work, I suspect I'd stop enjoying it...

Excellent stuff Dan.

I'm back at Enigma in January to have another go. Might see if I can get that Anvil jig in the back of the van!

Yes, Geoff said you'd be back for your third course. He says he's expecting you to come up with something really tricky and demanding to build, once you've seen this one I'm doing now.

The Anvil jig will need unbolting from the stand, unless you've got a box van. It's rather large.

But the reason I like doing this is because it isn't work. If it became work, I suspect I'd stop enjoying it...

True. I did this with rusty cars and spoiled my hobby.

Cant deny Tuscan farmhouse sounds sweet though.

Tuscan farmhouse does indeed sound good. I'll be staying in one for a long weekend next week with @Cycliste and various family members. Admittedly it's more boutique hotel than actual farmhouse, but I think that fits the narrative.

I'm currently thinking Max too - but lugged, fillet brazing looks like hard work.

Also attracted by the Tuscan dream. Thankfully having two sets of school fees to pay renders the reality impossible.

Been quietly following this thread for a while now, it's nice to see the development of the skills!
Why the reversed top tube?

It's basically just a way of connecting the big fat headtube (outside diameter about 47mm) with the relatively slim seat tube (diameter of 28.6mm) without having an overly chunky top tube. It's made doing the internal brake cable a right PITA though.

What chain stays are you using? Nice work btw!

It's basically just a way of connecting the big fat headtube (outside diameter about 47mm) with the relatively slim seat tube (diameter of 28.6mm) without having an overly chunky top tube. It's made doing the internal brake cable a right PITA though.

That's exactly why Talbot use that top tube on the majority of frames, in that orientation.

Stick the rear brake under/behind the BB and route the cable through the downtube and the routing issue is resolved, also.

Horrible brake pad rub though if you're giving in the beans. I'll stick to the usual rear brake position for now. Unless I too decide to use waffer-thin seatstays.

I never had brake pad rub, maybe my power is sub-epic.

Cheers. Chain stays are SLF114OV short taper Columbus Life/Spirit items.

And as for the seat stays, I've made life difficult for myself once again with another rather Talbotesque feature:

Well, maybe I'll try it on the frame after next, the Third Best Bike. If I'd tried to suggest to Geoff that I was having a wishbone rear end and a rear brake mounted underneath the BB, I think he genuinely would have had a heart attack or nervous breakdown.

It'd be worth it, just to see the look on his face though.

The look on his face when I showed him the cast wishbone for the seat stays was pretty priceless. I left it for a day or two before mentioning the internal rear brake cable.

I am liking your work.