Frank’s MTB Frame Building Course – RAW

Frank attended our fillet brazed frame building course in 2024, and now his bike is finished. He took a bit of time to answer our questions about his experience in Potsdam building his own frame…

How did you come up with the idea of building your own frame?
I’ve always wanted to know how it works and whether it’s possible to do it without any prior knowledge or experience in brazing. I’m also happy to spend any minute I can away from my desk at the office.

Why did you choose this frame? What do you plan to do with it?
I wanted to transfer the geometry that I already liked on my full-suspension bike to a hardtail. Most hardtails have rather short chainstays to make the bike feel more maneuverable and lively. This used to be the case for full-suspensions too, but it has changed in recent years, and chainstays have gotten longer. This suits my riding style very well, as you sit nice and centrally on the bike instead of being very rear-heavy. I wanted to transfer this feeling to a hardtail and create a bike that could handle trails but also be suitable for longer (bikepacking) tours.

What is special about your self-built frame?
It’s the next logical step. When you’re already mentally assembling parts lists, it’s not far from coming up with your own geometry. And of course, there’s a unique charm in building something useful out of a bunch of tubes.

What was your experience like in the frame-building course?
I learned a lot, especially why it doesn’t go as quickly as you might initially think. It’s all handmade, involving a lot of thinking, measuring, and trial and error. Seeing progress every day is very satisfying, and I could hardly wait to hold the finished frame in my hands. I still have the documentation for the build and the first sketch, and I flip through it every now and then.

How does your finished bike ride?
It definitely doesn’t ride like a typical hardtail. It’s quite long, and due to the wheelbase and chainstay length, it’s not particularly agile, but the balance is great, and that’s exactly what I was looking for.