Hello, everyone. I am a mechanical engineering student based in France. I would love to start making some frames for me and some friends (maybe even take it further someday ?). I have 0 experience in this field and no tools. I would love to know what it takes to get started and how to actually design a bike frame suited to me.

I was wondering if there are any guides on the craft that I can buy to get started. I found the Paterek Manual online but I can't seem to find a copy to buy. Any recommendations ?

Thank you all for your comments !

I'm slowly building frame no. 1. Traditional lugged construction, oversize tubes, up to 55-559 tyres and 432mm chainstays. Of course this implies a lot of clearance issues around the bottom bracket area, but I've got a habit of starting with the difficult stuff.

I got pre-bent chainstays, MPO240C2024, knowing I would need to add one bend at the BB so they would match the angle of BB shell ports. Bent them way too far and ruined a pair of perfectly fine chainstays, creased them at the edge of where they were clamped in the vice.

Is there any way to save these or do I have to get new ones? If using new chainstays would I be better off cold forming and filing the BB shell ports rather than bending the chainstays? I've adjusted the main triangle lugs like that but those were smaller adjustments.

For new chainstays, does anyone know where to get these or others with the same bend within the EU? Getting them from Ceeway implies at least three/four weeks stuck at customs, and ridiculous import charges.

https://preview.redd.it/cgm2bx3d924e1.jpg?width=1014&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a289deb32ce3d7643270d6b633fc29cfe6f5d64b

https://preview.redd.it/rqxpfsme924e1.jpg?width=1014&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a1b637b25a65cd93337bdf8e52f8547ff1588634

https://preview.redd.it/xa3sc7if924e1.jpg?width=1029&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2c9b85aa6d02ae3bb45608bde620e5787b14fe73

Drive side chainstay, not final length, needs to go about 15mm further into the shell

Non-drive side chainstay, not final length, needs to go about 15mm further into the shell

Would love to hear your stories :D

Looking into building a full suspension frame and wondering how many others have gone this route?

Got the brake mount welded up this morning which was basically the last weld on this frame. Like I mentioned in my previous post, there’s about 3 or 4 inches of bead that I’m not completely disgusted with but it should (hopefully) hold together long enough to test out the geometry. The alignment actually ended being pretty dang close: the rear wheel is a few mms to the non drive side but that seems to be from accidentally welding the chain stays slightly offset at the bb. I’m already formulating a plan for a much improved jig setup. Not to mention protocols for vastly better tube prep and cleaning. I feel like most of my issues with contamination in the welds came from rushing the fit up and not cleaning the insides of the tubes. I also was running quite low on argon. And this is only about six weeks since starting to learn how to tig. Yeah, yeah, excuses excuses, right? 🤣 I figure another four or five of these things and I’ll have something I can start showing closeups of the welds. 😎

Anyone have a line on seat tube reaming in the Phoenix area? And if .75mm wall thickness is acceptable for an old steel seat tube.

Im in the initial design stage of making my own steel Mountain Bike frame (29" chunkyish tyres, 150-160mm travel), and I'm having a LOT of trouble with dropouts and head tubes. For dropouts, I'm looking for something 4130 steel, UDH compatible, and preferably with brake mounts attached. I was looking at something like this: ( https://buildyour.bike/shop/Ausfallende-Allotec-Hooded-UDH-Flatmount-p678221789 ), but I'm not sure where I'd weld seat/chain stays? And the brake mount spacing alright for standard flat mount brakes? Why are the two holes different dimensions? good grief I'm confused :(. Another thing is Head tubes. It needs to be tapered, but I'm not sure where I would find one that can take a tapered steerer. (has to be cro-mo as well). Thank you all so much!!!!!

This is a first gen gunnar crosshairs. A number of years ago I replaced the chainstays to increase the tire clearance. I was just getting into modifying frames and didn't do a great job. I also added a disc mount.

Now that I've built a few frames and upgraded tooling I'm ready to give it another go. I was able to get a bunch of comotion dropouts a few years ago and they'll go well with it. Also going back to cantilever brakes.

I’m new to fabrication. I bought a flux core and am finding it difficult working with piping. Any suggestions would really helpful.

I’m working on my first build I really want to do as much from scratch as possible. With limited tools I’m finding it difficult to make the clamps for my tree fork. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Had a quick question about cable guide options. I see a lot of frames with the zip tie cable guides (including mine), and barely ever any with the fully metal cable guides (the ones that look like little tubes or cable stops without the stop).

Is there a reason for this? Is there some advantage to the zip tie option? I just end up with a lot of used zipties whenever i make changes to my bike, so for my build I was thinking of using only the "tube" option.

Frame and fork build, paint, building wheels, assembling the bike, you have sourced 100% of everything. What's your profit as a percentage with everything accounted for? Or another way, what do you take for yourself? (edit), OK, only fair I go first. I take between $500 and $800 per complete bike.

I have been making progress on my ti full suspension frame. Everything is just tacked now. I’m hoping to get the chainstays in place and the seat stays cut and tacked.

Hi all, back again with another question. If someone (me) wants to start building one or two frames, would a quality mapp gas torch be sufficient for lugged construction with silver filler? I'd love to build my own frame or couple of frames, but I'd really like to stay away from oxy acetylene for health & safety as well as cost reasons plus it's just really hard to come by here in Belgium.

I've done some practice joints and installed a belt drive split piece in a seat stay with a basic cheap propane torch, but it seems that won't be powerful enough to do main tube joints but I've heard a quality mapp torch can have sufficient power and temperature for that. Anyone with any experience with those?

I'm designing my own lugs and dropouts etc to be 3D printed just like my belt drive split piece was, so I don't have much limitations in geometry or tube sizes by going lugged. Also the 3D printed parts are 316L stainless which needs less heat because it doesn't conduct heat as quickly as regular steel / chromoly does.

I am currently painting my carbon fiber bike. I have purchased some nice Specialized decals to retain the branding. The decals are black and that is the color I want to text to be. I am not sure the right way to use the decals.

What is best practice?

1. paint the bike with desired colors, apply decals, and "seal in" the decal with 2k clear coat?
2. spray down black, apply decal, spray color, remove decal, apply clear coat

https://preview.redd.it/jxpi2g98krzd1.jpg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=27644132e535ee14b10b2ec5f603a4019926e6cb

Hi there, not sure if this is the correct sun for this, I have some knowledge when it comes to bike geometry, and am getting a custom frame built by Marino, and have a drawing of the final design, was wondering if anyone with more knowledge than me would give it a quick check to see if I’ve made any obvious or stupid errors before I get it built. It’s going to be a 27.5 160mm travel MTB Thanks

I'm looking for a copy of the 2023-2024 Shimano products technical information. Does anyone happen to have a PDF or HTML document they would be willing to upload and share with me?

I'm not in the industry, so I can't get the doc through official channels, and the most recent version I have is 2020-2021 which doesn't include any 12 speed road info. I'm a total nerd for this stuff and would love to get my hands on a copy.

A box of parts from Paragon Machineworks and a package of Columbus Zona tubing (with a couple extras for practice) arrived last week and I'm just about ready to try to get this thing built. I do have a rough plan for how to do that without any sort of jig. Pics will be forthcoming, don't worry. I do have a quick sanity check on the size of the seattube though, specifically, this one: https://framebuildersupply.com/collections/seat-tubes/products/columbus-zona-externally-butted-seat-tube-32-7-dia-7-5-9-length-550?_pos=13&_fid=8c2a62ad0&_ss=c . I can just get a 34mm clamp for that and call it a day, right? I don't need a heavier seat collar to weld in for the last couple inches, right?

Also, this is my 'final' drawing for this frame. I made a few tweaks that were suggested on my previous post; mostly bumped up the stack a little and pulled in the reach a bit. Anywho, I've got a few more holesaws to pick up tomorrow and then its time to build!

https://preview.redd.it/dqnwhbpil6zd1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6b9e4f6b9cd0a67a6e16bddd1407c6f2db3df757

Hey,

Is it safe to dimple the chainstay bridge? I tried googling, but I didn't find anything useful.

Thanks