Jan’s First Frame. And Four More to Come.

When Jan (check out his blog) first caught the cycling bug, he didn’t even know how to adjust a rear derailleur.

A few years later, he had completely redesigned a bicycle from A to Z.

And eventually, the next step became clear.

He had ideas of his own and wanted to incorporate them into a frame he’d built himself.

Always Going a Little Deeper

Jan is 42 years old. He grew up in the countryside in Bayern but describes himself as “a European big-city kid at heart.”

He works in software development.

When something interests him, he doesn’t just want to understand the basics.

“Whenever something interests me, I have this urge to understand it in depth.”

Cycling was no different.

First came learning how to adjust a derailleur.

Then redesigning an entire bicycle.

And eventually, building the frame itself.

What Kind of Bicycle Did He Want to Build?

Jan particularly enjoys riding BRMs, and that’s where much of the inspiration for his first frame came from.

He wanted a bicycle that would be comfortable, both in terms of fit and frame stiffness. It needed to be light enough not to become a burden on long climbs, with room to carry luggage elegantly on long rides.

The details mattered to him, too.

For example, he wanted internal cable guide tubes, including through the chainstays.

And when it came to working out details like these, there was one aspect of the online course that Jan particularly appreciated:

He had time.

Build, Stop, Understand, Continue

Jan isn’t someone who simply jumps into a project and figures everything out along the way.

He prefers to gather as much information as possible, think through the process, and then get to work.

That approach suited the online course well.

And whenever something didn’t work as expected, he could stop and take a closer look.

“That gave me time to understand things more deeply and precisely.”

One example was the brazing torch.

Brazing was new to Jan and his biggest uncertainty before the course.

Rather than simply memorizing a sequence of steps, he wanted to understand how the torch worked, why oxygen and propane needed to be turned on and off in a particular order, and how that helped him adjust the flame correctly.

“I wanted to understand what matters when building a properly aligned frame, and how a frame jig could be made more ergonomic. So I designed a dummy axle holder for Robert’s Fixter Jig.”

He could take the time to figure it out.

And then continue building.

“Building a Frame Is Easy.”

There was one thing Jan didn’t have before starting the course:

Doubts about whether he could actually build a bicycle frame.

At Bespoked 2026, he attended a talk by Tullen from Sentient Bikes. Jan remembers a statement that captures his own attitude rather well.

To paraphrase his recollection:

Building a frame is easy. Doing it really well is hard. But if you’re building for yourself, that’s okay.

Jan was already comfortable with workshop tools and metalworking.

Even so, building his first frame helped him improve some of his skills.

“I can definitely file and drill better now than I could before :D”

There were a few surprises along the way, too.

For example, just how differently various types of steel behave when you work with them.

“Once you’ve filed a few Columbus tubes, ordinary construction steel feels buttery soft.”

And something else surprised him:

“That the brazing rods are the most expensive part of the whole thing! :’D”

His First Frame Wasn’t Even for Himself

And here’s the part of Jan’s story I hadn’t expected.

He didn’t build his first frame for himself at all.

The finished bicycle is far too small for him.

Of course, he tried riding it anyway.

And despite the size difference, he found it surprisingly comfortable to ride.

The bicycle now is ready to be delivered to its rightful owner.

Jan is looking forward to hearing what she thinks of it.

And His Own Bicycle?

That’s next.

This time, he’s actually building one for himself.

The design already exists in CAD.

It will definitely be another randonneuse with some gravel influence. There’s just one important question he hasn’t settled yet:

Will it be a folding touring bike or a weight-weenie build?

And after that?

Jan already has ideas.

For frame number 3.

Number 4.

And number 5.