This presentation includes lots of information on educational classes to learn how to build mountain bike frames. There are classes all across the United States dedicated to teaching people how to build mountain bike frames. View the original article with links to all of the classes on my site: OldGloryMTB.com.

1. LEARN HOW TO MAKE
YOUR OWN MOUNTAIN
BIKE FRAME
The full article can be found at
OldGloryMTB.com

2. Have you ever thought about designing and
building your own bicycle frame?
It may sound incredibly hard but
there are actually several schools
and classes around the United States
that are teaching bicycle frame
building. You don’t even have to
know how to weld or braze before
you start the class.
When taking these classes you are
instructed on all of the topics and
techniques needed to build a
complete bicycle frame. The tuition
cost pays for the shop space, tubing,
and materials needed for your own
frame.

3. Here are a few things to think about when deciding
if a frame building class is right for you to attend:
• No prior experience is needed in frame building, welding or brazing.
Previous experience at a night class or community college brazing
or welding is helpful.
• Have good eye hand coordination.
• Classes are usually during the day through the week with weekend
off. They are usually 5 or 10 days.
• Your tuition payment usually pays for the building materials of your
frame, use of their facility, and their tools. However, you still need to
think about lodging, food, and travel arrangements.
• Most students do 100% of the frame but can ask for help at any
point.
• Cannot normally do recumbents or full suspension frames because
of fixture issues.
• Some builders offer a fork and parts to build a complete bike. Please
check with your instructor on these specifics.

4. Good things to bring along if you have them:
• Work Clothes including a long sleeve shirt – nothing baggy
though
• Safety glasses
• Leather Gloves
• Personal welding helmet
• Comfortable closed toe shoes

5. Typical Class Topics:
Each instructor and class is taught differently, so these may vary from class to class.
Make sure you take a look at the class site to see what exactly you’ll be learning.
• Rider fitting
• Frame Geometry
• Tube selection
• Tube fitting
• Welding methods – TIG, MIG, Oxy/Acetylene
• Tacking and brazing joints
• Lugs vs Fillet brazing
• Finishing of frame for paint
• Tool selection
• Jig set up and use
• Shop safety
• Paint or Powdercoating

6. ANT Bikes Frame
Building Class
Class Location: Holliston, MA
Classes Available:
• Frame Building Class – 5 days
TIG Welding / lugless
Lugged frame / braze class
• Frame Building Business Class – 6
weeks
Frames you can build:
• Road
• Touring
• Cross
• Mountain
• Fixed gear
• BMX
• Basket Bike
• Roadster City bike

7. Bohemian
Framebuilding Class
Class Location: Tuscon, AZ
Classes Available:
• Beginner – 10 days
• Advanced – 10 days
• Welding or brazing seminar
Frames you can build:
• Build what you like within reason
(no trikes, recumbents, full
suspension)

8. Brew Bikes
Framebuilding Class
Class Location: Creston, NC
Classes Available:
• Bicycle Frame Building class – 5
days
Frames you can build:
• MTB
• Road
• Single Speed
• Cyclocross
• BMX
• 29er

9. Doug Fattic
Framebuilding Class
Class Location: Niles, MI
For Doug Fattic’s frame building class
I’m going a bit more depth than the
other classes. Doug doesn’t have a
web presence online for potential
students to glance at.
Doug wants to work with students that
have done research in the area of
frame building classes. He wants his
potential students to have asked
around and looked into other classes
to find out about him on their own
instead of just a quick Google search.

10. Some background on Doug Fattic himself:
• Doug apprenticed in England with master builder Jack Briggs
in the 70’s. He has undergraduate and graduate degrees in
the field of education. For over 30 years he has served on
various school boards and is presently a board chairman. He
has been teaching frame building classes since 1976 and has
visited many other builders in the United States and abroad. He
owns an impressive collection of handbuilt bikes from some of
the most prestigious names in frame building. These frames are
on display in his shop for students to look at for
inspiration. Doug has also been involved with a project to
make bicycles in Ukraine for 12 years for service oriented
workers.

11. Some things that are special to classes with Doug:
• Emphasis on filing techniques
• Brazing method to get really clean lug shorelines
• Incorporate frame alignment into the build process right
from the beginning (others do it all at the end)
• Advanced techniques – like how to do custom lug work
• Let students work as late as they want in the shop after
class
• Lodging on site if you wish with a fully equipped kitchen

12. Classes Available:
• Introductory class – good introduction on frame building to get
you ahead of the curve for the 2 week training – 3 days
• Standard class – 2 weeks
• Longer class – more instruction time on customization and
frame finishing/painting – 3 weeks
Frames you can build:
• Mountain
• Road
• Track
• Most anything else within reason

13. Metal Guru
Framebuilding Class
Class Location: Hudson Valley, NY
Classes Available:
• Lessons in Welded Steel Frame
building – 68-hour course with
flexible scheduling
Frames you can build:
• Road
• Track
• Cyclocross
• Touring
• Hard-tail XC mountain (26”, 650B,
29”) either geared or single speed

14. Ti Cycles
Framebuilding Class
Class Location: Portland, OR
Classes Available:
• Frame building class – 4 days (2
weekends)
Frames you can build:
• Any style of steel frame that is
compatible with the Hydra frame
jig from Bicycle Machinery

15. United Bicycle Institute
Framebuilding Classes
Class Location: Ashland, OR and Portland, OR
Classes Available:
• Cromoly Brazing Frame Building – 2
Weeks
• Cromoly TIG Welding Frame Building
– 2 Weeks
• Titanium Frame Building – 2 Weeks
• Alumni Frame Building Week – 5 Days
• TIG Welding Seminar – 2 Days
Frames you can build:
• Mountain bike
• Road bike
• Hybrid bike
• Cyclocross bike
• Track bike
• Trials bike

16. For contact information on
any of these classes visit
the original article below:
oldglorymtb.com/classes-to-learn-mountain-bike-frame-building/