TAFE Framebuilding Course & Subsequent Build

For Christmas this year my SO and extended family are aiming to send me on a framebuilding course at the local skills place here in Brisbane. The idea is to build a full frame from scratch to your own spec over the course of several months where you come in for one evening a week under the tutorage of a pro builder.

This is something I had been looking at in the UK, but the cost and commitment always seemed prohibitive - lots of £ and going away to the midlands or something for full weeks or weekends didn't appeal. I can fit this round the rest of my life. I have some far flung dream of retiring early and building bikes for people in a shed somewhere in the country, so this is a nice toe dip into that world. I did the usual tech courses at secondary school - learning how to make pencil cases and simple stuff but I've not done anything on this level or used my hands to make anything more complex than IKEA furniture for years.

The chap who runs the course is called Brett Richardson. I had a chat to him and he said that you are guided to build a lugged frame with Columbus Zona tubing, so other than that you can do just about whatever. They also offer an intensive 1 week course where you are less free to add things like rack brazes etc. You end up with a steel frame and fork which you then can go ahead and do whatever with, i.e. there's no paint element to the course.

I will spend the next few months planning what kind of frame I want including geometry etc. before detailing my works here.

This is an example of a frame made in the one day a week course. Simple but nice (not sure about the wheels).

That's should be fun for you and for us to watch :)

zOMG that looks amazing. Do you know if there's an equivalent in Melbourne?

Not that I'm aware of.

Current certainties:

• Lugged frame
  
• Columbus Zona F&F
  
• "Fast" road bike/commuter
  
• Clearance for 25mm and 'guards
  
• Mudguard mounts
  
• Relatively horizontal TT
  
• Stack and reach in region of 540/375
  
• SRAM final build
  
  

Open:

• Rim or disc (if possible given tubing and restrictions of course). Almost certainly rim anyway.
  
• Paint
  
• Ahead or quill. Will an ahead look too chunky on skinny Zona tubes?
  
• Frame angles, wheelbase, fork rake, chainstay length, bb drop etc.
  
• Rack mounts?
  

You know there is now a frame building sub forum on here? Would you like @velocio to move this thread to there?

I’m happy with it as CP since it retains the same themes as many other such threads? Choosing components and detailing the build and ending up with a whole bike? Maybe.

CP is the best place... this is a thread about a project to build a bike, rather than a thread on advertising a frame building course, providing frame building services, or general frame building talk/insight.

First geometry thoughts. A little concerned about too much toe overlap.

Favouring a fade with dark colour towards the wheels and BB if this is going to be a wet weather bike. Maybe I should expand to 28mm and 'guards.

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Maybe I should expand to 28mm and 'guards.

Can't think of a good reason not to. Even if you don't (always) use the capacity, the option has to be a boon.

Similarly, why is a quill stem even a consideration? Massive PITA, an inferior solution (from an engineering POV) and anachronistic, which overrides any aesthetic consideration (which I would argue anywhay). What size headtube are you using?

I agree. Not keen on them at all. I'm not sure what constraints will be on me in terms of headtube sizes and fork choice - so I'm trying to leave an open mind. Also wonder how a 1 1/8 stem will look with relatively skinny tubes, and fear the lack of choice with 1" stems.

I think 1 1/8 headtube will look cool with skinny tubes, I've seen a few examples on others' current projects where they've swapped out the 1 inch HT.

1" threadless gives you less options with forks but opens up stem options if you shim it. Not ideal for a custom build though.
Subbed so hard for this

Lugged frame, steel fork and 1 1/8 looks shit. Why fear the 'fit' with a custom geo? Just go quill and 1".

Look for the bars you like consider the reach and drop while doing the geo and compensate in stack and reach of the frame.

Get a nitto stem, seatpost and a flat fork crown.

Obvs Amey knows nothing, ignore him.

Surlys are pretty skinny and 1 1/8 and look fine

Disagree, if you use a super oversized tube set and compact geo lugs.

Remains to be seen what options are available with Zona. Can you offer any insight? I'm not well versed.

Down with quill stems. This is meant to have some semblance of modernity, sorry Amey.

yes I am wrong (this is zona and has a flat crown fork)

http://www.framebuilding.com/ZONA.htm

31.8 top and seat tube, 36 head tube, 35 down tube for these Lleweyn 'XL' lugs with a sloping top tube.

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What are to your mind the major technical disadvantages? People seem to go back and forth on this, and AFAICS if well maintained and set up threaded/threadless are much of a muchness; the reason threadless is more common these days is simply because it's cheaper for builders to keep one size of forks in stock. I've seen it suggested that if you don't need mega-stiffness (and outside racers, most of us don't), a quill setup may be preferable as an all-weather bike, because without a steerer tube for water to trickle down the bearings can be better sealed.