Five Years Later, Sebastian Built His Own Bike
20. October 2026How Much Workshop Space Do You Need to Build a Bicycle Frame?
Can you build your own bicycle frame in a workshop that’s just 6 square meters?
I think you can.
When people think about building bicycle frames, they often imagine a large workshop filled with expensive machines, welding tables, and specialized equipment.
But that’s not what you really need.
In fact, some of the students in my Online Framebuilding Course have built their frames in surprisingly small spaces.
And I didn’t exactly start out with a huge workshop myself.
Martin’s Garden Shed
Martin, one of the participants in my first Online Framebuilding Course, built his steel gravel bike using a small wooden garden shed as his workshop.
His workshop wasn’t much bigger than 6 square meters.
And it wasn’t a dedicated framebuilding workshop. There were other bicycles, tools, and all sorts of things stored in there.
But Martin made room for a workbench and his framebuilding equipment.
6 months later, he was riding the bicycle he’d built himself.
I particularly like these photographs because they show both the finished bike and the little shed where much of the work took place.
Photos: Martin with his finished gravel bike outside his shed, and a look inside his workshop.
Jan’s Workshop
Jan’s workshop is another example.
It’s packed with bicycles, wheels, tools, and equipment. There isn’t much empty floor space.
But look closely and you’ll find his framebuilding jig and the bicycle he built.
It’s a good reminder that a workshop doesn’t have to look like the ones you see in professional framebuilding videos.
It just has to work for you.
Photo: Jan’s workshop.
Sebastian’s Workbench
Sebastian also joined my Online Framebuilding Course without any previous experience working with metal.
His setup is a good example of how little equipment you need to get started.
A workbench, a vise, a frame jig, and some basic tools.
In the photograph, you can see his jig and the first tubes and parts laid out on the bench.
He went on to build his own steel all-road bike, which he’s now ridden for more than 1,000 kilometers.
Photo: Sebastian’s workbench and frame jig.
My First Framebuilding Workshop
When I started Big Forest Frameworks, my workshop was about 12 square meters.
It wasn’t particularly spacious, but I managed to build frames there and even started teaching framebuilding courses.
I had a workbench, the necessary tools, a frame jig, and enough room to work around a bicycle frame.
Photo: Teaching Marina in my first workshop.
What Do You Actually Need?
The important thing isn’t the total size of your workshop. It’s having enough usable space to work safely and accurately.
For most of the framebuilding process, you’re working on individual tubes or a frame held in a jig.
You don’t need a milling machine or an industrial workshop.
You’ll need a sturdy workbench, a vise, a frame jig, and some basic tools. The workshop also needs good ventilation and must be free of fire hazards.
Build Your Own Bicycle Frame at Home
My Online Framebuilding Course is designed to help you build your own steel bicycle frame in your own workshop, using accessible tools and equipment.
We cover everything from geometry and frame design to preparing the tubes, building a frame jig, brazing, and alignment.
And you don’t have to figure it all out on your own. We work through the process together in weekly live sessions, with video lessons and a community of other builders.
Enrollment for the next course closes Saturday, October 24.
