Buying a road bike off the shelf? That wasn’t an option for Sebastian. Instead, he wanted to learn more about bicycles and build a perfectly tailored road bike for himself. In the framebuilding course in Potsdam, he brought his idea to life—choosing steel as the material and a modern geometry for fast, long-distance rides. Here, he shares why his self-built bike is so special and what the course was like for him.

How did you come up with the idea of building your own bike frame? I already own quite a few bikes—everything from a full-suspension MTB to a gravel bike. The only thing missing was a road bike. But just going to the next shop and buying one wasn’t what I wanted. Instead, I wanted to learn more about bicycles and build a bike that truly suited me.

Why did you choose this particular frame? What do you plan to do with it? As mentioned, a road bike was the last missing piece in my collection. This new frame was meant to fill that gap. Since I enjoy riding fast and far, I chose a geometry that reflects that. The combination of steel as the base material and lightweight components results in a relatively low total weight—though that wasn’t my main priority. I also love the modern aesthetic with large tube diameters, and the fully integrated cable routing keeps everything looking super clean.

What makes your self-built frame so special to you? Everything about it. But most of all, the feeling of having built the frame—and the entire bike—myself. It’s not perfect, but that doesn’t matter. Quite the opposite—every uneven spot in a brazed joint reminds me that this frame was handcrafted and brings back memories of the amazing time I had in Potsdam.

How was your experience in the framebuilding course? It was intense and challenging, yet at the same time, very relaxing. My job in software development doesn’t involve much hands-on work, so working in the workshop was definitely a new challenge for me. I also had zero experience with brazing steel. But thanks to the great support from Konrad and Robert, everything was totally manageable. And at the end of each day, it was incredibly satisfying to see the progress I had made over the past hours.

How does your finished bike ride? Since the whole project took place in winter, I haven’t ridden that many kilometers yet. But the first rides have been amazing. The geometry fits me perfectly, and the bike is at least as fast as I had hoped!