Hey RBTechies! This new forum should not escape your radar.
It was recently written about in Bicycle Retailer and
Industry News. e-RICHIE [email hidden]
here's the article:
Neil Hassan Hopes to Keep Frame Builder's Torch Lit
Via the Net
by Matt Wiebe
London, England - Neil Hassan cut his frame-building teeth
at Rattray's in Glascow, Scotland, and Holdsworth's in
London. In those days, building custom frames was considered
high art and those who wanted to learn it apprenticed under
a master of the craft.
"There were so many tricks to learn from other frame
builders I worked with. Simple inexpensive tools that made
the job easier, knowledge of where the special parts of the
frame were. Now, so few people are left who know the craft,"
Hassan said.
As a way of keeping the knowledge he learned as a young
student alive, Hassan launched a frame-building resource web
site complete with a forum.
Hassan said he hopes www.frameforum.net will become a
resource and meeting place where professional and hobbyist
frame builders can come together and exchange their
knowledge.
"So many of the successful frame builders today apprenticed
with some well-established names and so many of them have
become one-person shops these days that the entire
apprentice track is no longer an option.
"I hope the forum can continue this apprentice tradition and
the builders with years of experience can help those new to
the craft, " Hassan said.
Hassan, who works for a large private-label frame builder in
Italy, got the idea for the web site while trying to locate
aluminum track dropouts with steel faces for a special-
project bike he was building.
Although he found the dropouts by using an e-mail list for
frame builders, he thought the community needed a better way
to exchange information.
"Who wants to get into the frame building business these
days? People know it isn't easy making a living at it,
and so many people think the expense of getting started
is too much.
"Hopefully, the forum will give them the support they
need and the guidance and tricks to help keep costs
down," he said.
"More than 200 people have registered in a little over a
month, including Richard Sachs and Peter Weigle, who have
been stopping by and commenting in the forum every now and
then. The interest is a bit surprising," he added.
Hassan said he plans to add a classified section to help
beginners find vital on-the-job experience as well as help
the pros find a willing pair of helping hands.
The web site's Links and Resources section provides tube and
fork specifications, manufacturer data and other useful
information, making it a one-stop source for frame builders
of all skill levels.