Five Years Later, Sebastian Built His Own Bike

From a long-standing idea to a handmade all-road bike.

Sebastian had wanted to build his own bicycle frame for about five years.

He’d found Big Forest Frameworks while researching framebuilding online, and after hearing us on a podcast, he knew it was something he wanted to try.

There was just one problem.

Sebastian is 46, lives near Paderborn in Germany, and works in medical technology sales. His job involves plenty of traveling, and with three children at home, finding five days to attend a framebuilding workshop wasn’t easy.

So the idea stayed on his list.

Until the online course came along.

“I didn’t hesitate for a minute. I signed up without really knowing what I was getting myself into. Sometimes you just have to do it!”

No experience with metalworking. None.

Sebastian’s professional life has little to do with making things by hand.

Before starting the course, he’d never worked with metal or brazed anything.

He wanted to build a road bike that would also be comfortable on rougher roads. His bike fitter had recommended a stack of 600 mm and a reach of 380 mm, so those became the starting points for his design.

But designing a frame and actually building one are two different things.

Sebastian had some doubts.

Not so much about whether he could learn the individual steps, but whether the finished frame would be straight and the bicycle would ride properly.

After all, building a frame requires an investment in tools, materials, and time. Ending up with something that didn’t ride well would be disappointing.

Learning framebuilding around work and family

One of the biggest advantages of the online course for Sebastian was being able to work on his own schedule.

He couldn’t always attend the live sessions, but that wasn’t a major problem.

“The course worked really well. I couldn’t always join live, but with the recordings and regular Q&A sessions, I could work according to my own schedule.”

He also remembers his first experience with brazing during a visit to my workshop in Potsdam.

It was a completely new experience.

Even the distinctive smell of working with heated steel stuck in his memory.

From there, he continued working toward his own frame, learning techniques that had been entirely unfamiliar to him just a few months earlier.

The surprise: It was straight

When the frame was finished, Sebastian discovered something he hadn’t expected.

It was straight.

He hadn’t even needed to correct its alignment.

And when he finally assembled the bicycle and took it for a ride, it tracked beautifully.

That was a huge relief.

But the real moment came on the road.

“It worked!”

Sebastian finds it difficult to describe what riding his own handmade bicycle means to him.

But he remembers the first ride very clearly.

“I was sitting on the bike and must have shouted ‘This is awesome, it actually worked!’ about a hundred times.”

It’s hard to imagine a better first ride.

And the excitement hasn’t worn off.

Sebastian has already ridden more than 1,000 kilometers on his new bike. It’s become his regular companion for training rides, and he has plans to take it into some ultradistance races.

His verdict?

It’s fast.

And his other bicycles have hardly been ridden since.

Already thinking about frame number two

Sebastian isn’t finished with framebuilding.

His next project is already taking shape: a gravel bike with clearance for 2.1-inch tires.

As someone who considers himself more of an off-road rider, he’s especially looking forward to that one.

And what would he say to someone who’s interested in building their own frame but isn’t sure they can do it?

“To everyone out there who thinks they can’t do it: Just start. Maybe you’ll have to throw away a tube set along the way, but in the end, you’ll be holding something unique in your hands. Something that genuinely adds value to your life.”

Five years after first thinking about building a bicycle frame, Sebastian is now riding one he made himself.

And he’s already planning the next.

Want to build your own bicycle frame?

Our Online Framebuilding Course takes you through the entire process, from designing your frame and choosing tubes to mitering, brazing, alignment, and finishing.

Learn at your own pace, join our regular live sessions, and build your own frame in your own workshop.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ONLINE FRAMEBUILDING COURSE