How a bike mechanic designed and built his own custom frame

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Some ideas don’t let go.

For Hanno, it took seven years.

Seven years between
“I’ll build my own frame someday”

and

👉 “I’m doing this now.”

Hanno is 23.
A trained bike mechanic.
And someone who doesn’t just ride bikes—but wants to understand them.

His story doesn’t start in the course.

It starts years earlier.

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The beginning: a borrowed road bike and a realization

2021, in the middle of the pandemic.

His best friend buys a gravel bike.
Hanno is mostly riding bike parks at that point—Leogang, jumps, downhill.

During a shared holiday, he borrows a road bike for a day, just to be able to ride together.

And realizes:

👉 Okay… this is actually fun.
👉 I want a bike like this.

So he starts testing what’s out there.

Bikes from the shop.
Customer bikes.

But no matter what he rides, the same problems keep coming back:

• The seat angle doesn’t work for him

• Toe overlap is a constant annoyance

• Classic gravel geometry just feels… wrong

Not slightly off.

Fundamentally wrong.

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First attempt: modifying instead of rethinking

So he does what many mechanics do:

He builds something himself.

Base: a Stanton Sherpa Ti MTB frame
Conversion: drop bar, adventure bike—somewhere between gravel and MTB

And then begins the process that never really ends:

👉 adjust
👉 optimize
👉 rebuild

From 2021 to 2025.

Four years.

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And still: it never really fits

Over time, it becomes clear:

The frame is the limitation.

• Head tube too short → stack of spacers + angled stem

• Seat angle too steep due to the short fork

• Limited space for bottles and bags

• Overall: always a compromise

You might know that feeling.

You can tweak and optimize all you want—
if the foundation isn’t right, you’re constantly working against it.

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The moment things change

End of 2025.

Hanno signs up for the framebuilding course.

And this time, he approaches it differently.

Not “let’s see what happens.”

But:

👉 I’m designing this bike from scratch.

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From mechanic to designer

He measures his current bike.

Draws it in CAD.
Analyzes what works—and what doesn’t.

Then builds his own geometry on top of it:

• more stack

• longer chainstays

• more BB drop

• clearance for 29 x 3.0 tires

• longer seat tube to reduce dropper extension

And because the concept isn’t trivial:

👉 a custom yoke between bottom bracket and chainstays
👉 stainless steel tubing
👉 integrated cable routing

This isn’t trial and error.

It’s a system.

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Collaboration instead of guesswork

Before the course even starts, he reaches out.

With ideas.
With drawings.
With questions.

And that’s where something important happens:

Not just “yeah, looks good.”

But:

👉 iterations
👉 feedback
👉 prototypes

The yoke is printed multiple times in PLA
just to make sure the design actually works.

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February 2026: it becomes real

Then he arrives at the course.

Motivated.

And, naturally, a bit nervous.

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What stood out to him

Not just the craft.

But the people.

“A great team that works with real passion and supports participants in an impressive way.”

This isn’t a course where you’re just guided through steps.

You build your project.

And you get the support you need to actually make it work.

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The result: no more compromises

The finished bike?

Completely different from before.

• stable

• calm

• highly controlled

Gravel riders might call it slow.

Hanno says:

👉 That’s exactly what I wanted.

Because the bike isn’t just for roads.

It sees trails too.

And most importantly:

👉 The position fits perfectly.

No constant adjustments.
No “good enough.”

Just:

👉 I sit on the bike and it feels right.

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Why this means more than just a bike

Hanno wants to work in bike development.

Design frames.

Be part of the industry.

And that’s why this course wasn’t just an experiment.

It was a step.

“The dream of riding a frame I developed and built myself never really left me.”

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And maybe the most important part

Hanno isn’t an engineer with 20 years of experience.

He’s 23.
He did an apprenticeship.
He’s studying.

And yes:

The course is an investment.

But not an absurd one.

Not a Bentley.

Something that’s within reach—if you really want it.

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Maybe you recognize yourself in this

You work on bikes.

You see what doesn’t work.

You have ideas.

But so far:

👉 they’ve stayed in your head
👉 or in small modifications

And maybe you’re thinking:

“Someday.”

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Or you do what Hanno did

And just build it.

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At some point, it becomes real

Many people who come to us carry the idea with them for years.

Like Hanno.

The difference isn’t talent.
Or experience.

It’s the moment they decide:

👉 I’m doing this now.

If that feeling sounds familiar, take a look at the course.

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