Frame building 101 by Steven Willis

Try and fit your self to your bike go to bike fit. If you are in need of any frame repair take a look at the repair page.

Frame Construction

      I do not view myself as a true KOF (keeper of the flame) but in my heart I feel that I am. The frames I build while not up to the quality of so many very talented frame builders out there I feel my construction is closer to what you may have found seventy years ago when it was more common to find your local independent bike store would also dabble in frame making. All twenty or so frames of mine, have been built for friends with fit problems this is the first frame I am making just for a friend that wanted one of my frames. Like a piece of me will be with them forever. It is kind of cool. I will try and get some more pictures up of the process. And if you have any questions or comments please feel free to email me at The Bike Stand.
      Click on to the link to see the Violette one of my more off beat frame I made about 8 years ago for a woman that could not lift her leg very high. Here is a page that shows a chart of meting point for metals used in bicycle frame making.
      I just got a great repair in a fun winter brazing job worth a look at this Raleigh folder. I also found a great site to help figure out frame geometry take a look at it sometime.

Starting a new build up

Well we got two things to show here first the tubes are mitered and I like to work in full size drawings. I find when I got to full size I tend to make less mistakes. The lugs are NOS Nervex that my friend bought on Ebay after the listing was discussed on the CR list. Everybody loves my little calculator but it helps to make sure all the angels are right. The mitering is done by sticking it in the lug and making the tube then pulling it out to trim off the excess with a hand held grinder.

Here we got a close up of the down tube
to head tube with the lugs finding their home on the head tube.
I will have to start cleaning up the head tube it was sitting
too long in the basement and got a little rusted.

Now we move on to the top tube and head tube. You can also see I can not find a big enough piece of paper to do the full size drawing so I put some together to get the size I want.

Here we have the bottom bracket with both tubes cut
and ready for brazing. But the picture does not show the inside that I
lovingly did so well.

This is a close up of the drawing of the seat tube to down tube joint. Not the prettiest drawing but the angle is there and can be read.

The last picture today is the drawing of the head tube and
fork crown with the gap for the headset. I do not think it will win any
drawing awards but it sure makes it easier for me to start brazing
these tubs in to a frame. Stay tuned for the brazing in a few days.

So here is my gig if you can call it that. It is an angle iron to help keep the bb perpendicular to the down tube. It has worked for years like this. My cheep Norwegian blood keeps me from buying an expensive frame gig. After I braze it I recheck along the length of the down tube and “cold set” it if I need too.
To the right you can see the alignment table made from a large girder. More often then not it has become an extension to the work table until it is called in to service.

Here is the first joint brazed. The down tube to the bottom
bracket shell and the seat tube is installed and I am making
sure that the angle I figured I need will be there. Like
the last time I will measure the seat tube along the length
of the angle iron to keep the frame true.

I found a small gap in my joint so I drew in the brass by heating up this little spot.

Here is the head tube and down tube all fitted up I
will lower it down to check the alignment soon but I like
the look of this angle.

Here I got the seat tube to top tube brazed up and it looks marvelous.

Now I have the head tube all done up.

Here I got the chain stays cut and the drop out in and ready to go. I used the little adjusters to help with the alignment of the drop outs.

The other side of the frame.

Right after the brazing. I am a little heavy with the brass but that is what sanders are for.

Now the seat stays are in and you may see the sanding
done on the chain stays.

Here we have the seat cluster done you will not believe the amount of work this shows. I took a piece of the tubing that was cut off the seat stay and slit it and flattened it out the cut it in to a tear drop shape and brazed it on to the end of the seat stay. No plugs here and way light.

So cool the main part is done and about 4 lbs. I will
do some more cleaning and start the small fitting now.

Here we have it the bike is done. Bright red and ready to ride well except the parts now Gary will have to start saving some more money.

I tried to make it look older then it is by using
on top of the shell guides. It looks nice down there.

Nice English wraparound stays. I start with a piece of the seat stay and split it open and flatten it out. Then cut it in to a tear drop shape before I braze it on. Very light, but a real pain. Plugs would be so much easier.

Campy short drop out just say cool.

Very red and very fast. The sad part is I just finished the frame for my friend Gary and he and is family are all moving out to California. I hope it all goes well I know we will all miss him and his family.

All done and ready to ride and best of all paid in full.

Some other frames of mine

Here is an older frame I built for my wife at the time. Columbus tubing with Campagnolo drop outs. She wanted a racing bike like I had but when I built it up for her with a Campy group she said it was a little twitchy. Well I took the parts off and put them on a more relaxed frame and she loves it.

Here is a close up of the bottom bracket shell looks pretty
sweet no filler there. If I am building a frame that is really
tight geometry I found the chain stay bridge was not needed. The
team colors at the time was yellow and red my favorite colors.

Here is a close up of a seat cluster I like the top caps of the seat stays they are just cut off the I flattened the left over tubing then soldered it back on very light. This lug is a Henry James. I built this for a friend of mine that needed a very steep seat tube and long top tube. I had a set of the lightest True Temper tubing kicking around so I built him a frame. It was great at first because he for the first time could ride no handed with the better seat position. But with all things the evil side showed its head, very whippy ride in the hills. It has been put on retirement in 2004. Looking for a very light rider. Also to keep it stiff I did not indent the chain stays at all so if the wheel goes out of true more the about 4mm you rub. OOPS.

Yes it pays to advertise of course now I should put the
web address on it.

Oh yes the dreaded broken frame. Another very light tube set but this time for a very light rider. My friend wanted me to make him a copy of his fat but with the ability to have a front suspension fork installed. It took some time to also let me change the geometry of the frame to fit him better. Well he loved the shallow seat tube and longer top tube I recommended but after a few years the set tube broke off above the set cluster joint. This is the picture of the fix taking place. I cut the seat tube off and put a collar on it. Time will tell if it works.

Another few of the repair in progress. I did tell him since
he loves the ride, maybe he should call Land Shark and get
a better frame made for him.

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