Schnitter's custom steel frame

Hi everyone,

for my birthday I decided to give myself a frame building course at the former framebuilder of the german olympic team and track professionals Christian Pyttel (Textima)

I will try to get some suggestions for the build, as well as post some pictures from the course and of the following building of the whole bike.

First off: I'm planning to get a road bike.
No need for a track bike - racing in the velodrome to rarely ... no need for a cyclocross - built up my Singular peregrine which is just fine ... no need for a tourer - again, got the peregrine that i could equid with fenders and racks ... already got a roadbike as well, but a second one can't hurt ;)

So far I'm thinking of getting a fillet brazed frame (just like he used to build his textimas) hidden fender mounts, internal cable routing, vertical dropouts, 2 bottle cage mounts ... what else??

The only 2 points I'm not as certain yet are tubing and componets.

For tubing he offers Columbus SL/B ... I'd like to spend a little more for a lighter/better tubeset. Columbus MAX seems great since I really like riding my MXL.
Which tubesets would justify spending a little more money on, to get a nice riding frame for a tall guy?

As for components I'm not sure whether I should invest ~500 to get a modern (used) groupset or rather go for a nice older dura ace group for example.
Are the mid-level modern groupsets better than older top range groups?

So far thats it ... will start posting pictures march 5th, when the course begins.

Is it frame building you want to learn or looking to get a frame built? If you are learning start with the basics when you know how to build a frame then spend some money on top quality components.

On the tubing the more expensive and thin it is the more difficult it is to braze.

Zebs

it's more about seeing the progress and having a frame that fits like a glove that i helped to build.
Christian Pyttel will do the most important steps.

Columbus Life is supposed to be very nice, and not quite as extreme as Spirit in terms of how thin it is (meaning it's probably better for a large frame, and especially for a first framebuilding attempt). I've chatted to Ricky Feather about tubesets for road bikes and he's a big fan of the Life stays. But MAX would be pretty cool too, I think.

With groupsets I'd go for a modern mid-range group myself, but the older top line stuff can look better on a steel frame.

It'd probably be best to ask the frame builder what tubesets he recommends.

On MAX, this is pretty nice:

They've dropped to the MAX toptube to save some weight, and I've got to say I think it looks a lot better for it.

I'd also think about roughly what you want it to look like - classicly styled, more modern, somewhere in between. Personally I'd go slightly more modern as it gives you more build options and if/when you upgrade things like forks newer models won't look odd.

Dave Yates. I think Skully has done it.

James Aufbruch built a tourer on the course, Skully got a track bike built by Dave Yates IIRC...

some pics of my new frame ... was to tired to post progress-shots on the nights after the course.

will try to upload them all on flickr soon.

specs:
Columbus Zona tubing
61cm c-t
1 1/8 headtube
lugless except dropouts
internal brake in TT
mudguard holes hidden on seat-stays

still a ton of filing and sanding of the brazing and i need a steel fork made (no time for extra 2 day course)

4 Attachments

a few shots from the making

5 Attachments

the store/workshop

5 Attachments

^how sad is it that that workshop is giving me a bit of a semi?

Well jel.

I want an awesome bike in my library too!

awesome, like the frame. how much was the course in the end?

Do they do day trips around that workshop/house?

Love it!

parts for fork arrived today ... from Ceeway in the UK.
should have ordered my tubeset there as well :/

1 Attachment

shouldn't the steerer fit right in the crown?

i think they sent me a 1" crown with a 1 1/8" tube :[

Shim and you're winning!

Nice frame you have there. When will it be finished?

I always thought Pyttel uses Reynolds 753 tubing for his best frames. How much does yours weigh?

shouldn't the steerer fit right in the crown?

i think they sent me a 1" crown with a 1 1/8" tube :[

I'd say so.. Vernier caliper would determine..

Fork blades look great too! FAT!

^Max of course.. Anyways, just had a browse on Ceeway and it looks like the crown you chose of the "special" crowns is the only one not being specified on being for 1" or 1 1/8".. Though it says on the top of the page, unless specified, it's 1".. Bummer man..

yes noticed that too now ... i asked them in my email if everything would fit together and they said it would be ok.
got to order a new one now.

Nice frame you have there. When will it be finished?

I always thought Pyttel uses Reynolds 753 tubing for his best frames. How much does yours weigh?

yes some of his frames are 753 ... but everyone who joins his course can choose the tubing himself.

he said the process for a builder to get 753 was quite annoying and they only gave out small quantities.

he's got a stock of Columbus SL he uses for the participants without their own tubing.

.

IIRC you had to build a sample frame in 753 and send it back to Reynolds for them to cut up, so they could check you were capable before allowing you to build with it. Due mainly to its extreme thinness I think.