# Let's see em; pictures of #1



## G-reg (Jan 12, 2004)

Somebody needs to start this thread already! It's been brought up a few times, so let's see frame #1. I'm just starting on #2, hoping I've still some beginners luck left.

#1


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## Walt (Jan 23, 2004)

*Awesome idea*

Here's a link to mine:
Waltworks Bicycles: Waltworks ZERO

I don't think anyone can surpass the crappiness of my first effort, though to be fair:

-It was and still is rideable. 
-I really had almost no outside info on how to build a bike and made it up as I went. The FB email list existed but I didn't realize how much info was there and didn't really consult it - just started cutting things up and welding them together.

The next frame I did after that was an all OX platinum 29er with a 28.6mm toptube and 31.8mm downtube (!) which I broke, not surprisingly, after my awful homemade fork hit the DT in a crash. It was equally crappy in its own way. I think I experimented with every method of making something absolutely horrible for about 25 frames, then started to figure it out a little.

Kudos to everyone out there who has built a frame, and for those considering it, go for it! If I can do it, anyone can.

-Walt



G-reg said:


> Somebody needs to start this thread already! It's been brought up a few times, so let's see frame #1. I'm just starting on #2, hoping I've still some beginners luck left.
> 
> #1


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## Eric Malcolm (Dec 18, 2011)

I have no photo of my original, I cut it down to make a small frame for a friend of mine's son, but will relate the following:

I had read in a library book the process of making a bike frame: it read something along the lines of: take the T/T and connect to H/T. Take S/T and D/T and connect to BB shell.
Then connect those 2 pieces together. Add rear triangle to BB and Seat-D/T, in about as many words. So I did - literally. I had no one to teach me. Did it on an old Blacksmiths forge, Coals and all. After doing 6 frames this way, all straight, a traveling Cycle sales rep visited, admired my work and asked to see my Jig......

Eric


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## febikes (Jan 28, 2011)

First bike I built myself.









I still love the bike and think it is the best 26er that I have ever ridden in terms of geometry and overall handling. There is something magic about the way it rides. Frankly the welding is not great but the thing has been super rugged and gets a very regular thrashing on the local trails plus the occasional epic trip. My bikes have improved since then but unless this one breaks I don't ever plan to replace it as my primary geared bike.


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## Brad Bedell (Apr 18, 2009)

2004-2005ish build. I decided I had to have a titanium bike. Sourced a variety of rolled/seamed TI as well as chopped up a broken frame for misc parts that were not available to me at the time.

I put about 10k miles on it. I never broke it, though it probably should with what I learned about welding Titanium in the next couple of years. One day, I'll dig it back out of the attic and assemble it. It still handles better than any plastic bike that I've owned. It just had too much bottom bracket flex. I often would derail the chain in a sprint.


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## CBaron (May 7, 2004)

Walt said:


> Here's a link to mine:
> Waltworks Bicycles: Waltworks ZERO
> 
> -Walt


Ha, I forgot that you loved v-brakes for soooo long. You built my first disc brake frame for me back in 06'. I remember being on the fence back then. Funny stuff from a fellow recovering weight weenie.

I'll try to dig up pics of our first bike. The frame is hanging in our shop. Its soooo bad that I actually don't mind showing it to people. The welds look like clumps of toothpaste.

Good thread.
CJB


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## thehammertownhead (Jan 23, 2011)

*My first Frame*

This is my first frame.....29er SS.....love it!!!

Unfortunately I can't yet post links or photos....so I had to cheat a little, if you clean up the hyperlink below.....by removing the dashes

h-t-t-p://youtu.be/yznNgc1LCH0

something very satisfying about riding a bike built with my own two hands.


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## Mr Mack (Oct 26, 2007)

This is my first MTB, fillet brazed with OX Platinum. I rode it on the Colorado Trail last summer and to my amazement the frame did not break. Probably because it is so flexible (!).

It was a fun project but it took about 3 times the time I thought it would take, mainly due to my limited torch skills. The frame is not very straight but it is still a gas to ride a home-built frame--

I can't wait to get it back on the trails here in Wyoming though it snowed all day today.


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## todwil (Feb 1, 2007)

Here is bike #1 weighed more than a metric ton....but fun to ride!!


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## MDEnvEngr (Mar 11, 2004)

Here it is. A geometric copy of a Carl Strong built frame I got a year earlier (which I blame for this "hobby"). Held together pretty well. Eventually cracked the seatstay hoop, but it took a while. Walt-built rigid fork on the front of this.


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## swift (Apr 3, 2007)

Went all out on #1.
Lugged, except seatstay socket. ...Got to try fillet out on that one. Carbon seatstays to show off my abilities a bit...Will NEVER do that again. (worked out fine, but a pain to setup and align during build and too little weight savings to make the effort worth-while.) Shade over 20lbs built up with Open Pros and 1st gen Rival components.

Rides OK, but the steering is a little quicker than I prefer. There's also a bit of toe overlap with my size 11.5 feet, which I find annoying. Cable routing is an afterthought and learning experience. Components are getting cannibibalized for bike I'm currently building my girlfriend. Frame will get hung on the shop wall as art.


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## lynd (May 19, 2006)

I'll play:

It acuatlly rode pretty well, but looked...well bad. I put about 3 months of riding on it, before I had completed #2 (its replacement). I wasnt happy with the adjustablity of the EBB, so went with Blackcats. It's now hanging on my shop wall with a stuck seatpost : (


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## vulture (Jan 13, 2004)

Numero uno, dubbed "the longboard" circa october 1996 phil wood oval tubes, inspired by mountain goat deluxe and moots mountaineer. Crooked and wambly, 13" bb ht for 200 mm cranks, roller cam rear brake, IRD ti fork. I once rode it 13 hrs strait in moab, then I came home and built a new frame. becha cant guess what went into the oval behind the seat tube.


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## Smudgemo (Nov 30, 2005)

A little sloppy with the silver, a bit out of straight, a bit low on trail and a bit small for me. I didn't ride it all that much because my trusty commuter was so much better, but it was a fun conversation starter.


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## edoz (Jan 16, 2004)

vulture said:


> Numero uno, dubbed "the longboard" circa october 1996 phil wood oval tubes, inspired by mountain goat deluxe and moots mountaineer. Crooked and wambly, 13" bb ht for 200 mm cranks, roller cam rear brake, IRD ti fork. I once rode it 13 hrs strait in moab, then I came home and built a new frame. becha cant guess what went into the oval behind the seat tube.


Wade, that frame is so frakkin awesome!


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## vulture (Jan 13, 2004)

edoz said:


> Wade, that frame is so frakkin awesome!


Thanks Eric, it ruined (cough cough) um, changed my life...


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## Smokebikes (Feb 2, 2008)

My first...........lugged with brake rotor gussets.


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## jgrano (Dec 5, 2011)

Still waiting to see how well this turd rides off road but so far around town it is alright.. steers like a boat. but it folds and is pretty straight.

Hopefully I won't die on the single track..


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## Vlad (Feb 7, 2004)

You can't go wrong w/ a stash spot built into the frame.


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## NorseRider (Feb 9, 2004)

My first one. Self taught fillet brazer. Built on my first jig (a blatant copy of an early Henry James that a friend of mine made).























































No frame building or machining training at the time. Later I've spent a few days with Doug Fattic. That was very valuable.

Oh, lessons learnt? I designed with a somewhat to high bottom bracket on this one. Will not do that again. And the short heatube. Not that either. Apart from that it rides fine. It's straight. It's hanging as a bare frame in the shop right now, but I will build it up again pretty soon as a loaner. It have held up well. No cracks or anything unusual. Even rode it hard in the Alpujarras in Spain just a few weeks after it was finished (pic below). Come to think of it, I've done that with two of my personal frames. Build, paint, assemble and off-to-Spain! (with just a few days inbetween) - heck, the last one i built for myself (26er singlespeed) was assembled the night before we raced as a single speed team at Nordic 24 last year).










Cheers,

Truls
Johnsen Frameworks
Hølen, Norway


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## fenderbender (Feb 28, 2008)

Great work Truls! I'll be in touch as soon as I've got my finances in order.


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## edoz (Jan 16, 2004)

Yeah, my first. It rode pretty good, until I cut it up a couple of years later.


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## FTMN (May 10, 2010)

Been looking forward to posting in this thread ever since G-reg started it...










Took it out for it's first ride in the dirt (and sand) today. Loved it!

Thanks to all the first-time, hobby, and professional builders here (especially Walt) for all the shared knowledge. I've wanted to build my own frame since I was a teenager (I'm pushing 40), and the inspiration I found here to give it a go was essential to that becoming reality! Thanks!


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## 3wfab (Aug 1, 2010)

With a suspension corrected fork......


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## Eric Malcolm (Dec 18, 2011)

*Picture lost*

Will try again later


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## Eric Malcolm (Dec 18, 2011)

*Earliest example I could find, # 3, first customer frame*

This frame came my way recently from the powder coater for dent repair before coating, just had a minute to take a picture.
It is # 3 and 30 yrs old, travelled & raced 1000's of miles, had been in a house destroyed by fire, and most importantly, my first sale....
By # 3, I had developed my signature details, which I used from this frame til I stopped a year later.
Built without a jig, and on a forge, using silver, took about 40 hrs for frame and fork. Mostly due to the blackened state of the frame cleaning up after the forge - scale and flux.
Built from Reynolds 531, later when I was using Acytelene (much cleaner), frame and fork took 20 hrs.

Eric


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## Karlis (Dec 30, 2008)

my first,built jig-less,so far everything is looking good
frame only and built up as a fixed gear ride


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## Crispy01 (May 4, 2011)

*My First*

Weird, Wacky and great fun, learnt heaps!!!

Sadly I chopped it up to make Frame # 2.


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## beewee (Mar 17, 2008)

*The Mule*

My first bike. 29er, rando, road touring thang.


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## rbemiss (Nov 19, 2008)

my first seems like it was before the invention of the camera... lol.
it literally came back in a 5 gallon bucket... no joke. i used the wrong tubing. the wrong flux. the wrong torch. the wrong filler rod. it was, well, wrong.
up until the first tech downhill it was the bomb. then the first downhill came about and it blewup. literally, cracked at every joint and broke the head tube clean off. think i was 17 years old. went back to the drawing board. now at 45 things have fortunately gotten 1000 times better. wish i had a pic to share...


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## krzysiekmz (Nov 10, 2009)

Well, then shoot one and post it


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## rbemiss (Nov 19, 2008)

well. i totally suk at this whole computer gig... been trying to post a pic for awhile with no luck. i suk!
so here is a link to a previous topic i started awhile ago if you care to look... sorry.

http://forums.mtbr.com/framebuilding/myfirstpicattempt-749109/html

it was built for an older road race guy that used torace the more classic style lugged frame with sl tubing.so it was painted to try and give the lugged type look from 20 feet...

sorry again for being totally computer illiterate.

even the link won't type out correctly??? after framebuilding/myfirstpicattempt-749109

oh yeah.... this is like #7 in newest shop location where i started at 0 again.


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## ROSKO (Oct 11, 2009)

My first built at UBI back in 1996-97? 
Made with oversize Tange Prestige- maybe the MTB tubing? compact and aggressive. I was working as a courier in NYC at the time and I thought a tough ss/fixed gear would be something the working cats would dig... no such luck. I rode the sh*t out of it for 10 years or so... all these years later it's still rolling though it spends more time hanging up.

hand screened copper ADRV headbadge 

fork off the Cuevas it replaced:

pre-Surly "sub 110" track ends:

drive side:

that was a fun night:

looking at these pics I may have to pull her down for an overhaul....


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## njeslinger (Sep 26, 2012)

I wood be scared to ride it


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## njeslinger (Sep 26, 2012)

very nice sad that you choped it up


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