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In the previous sections, we examined some of the most famous builders in the world, their methods, philosophies, and their histories. One objective of this book is to take the "mystery" out of the custom frame. In order to accomplish that, we visited the builders, examined their techniques and, using a detailed outline, attempted to find each builder's answers to a list of technical questions. To put the answers in the proper perspective, we presented as much historical information as we were able to obtain. We feel, as we hope you do, that the builder's background can greatly influence our acceptance (or rejection) of his opinions. For instance, would you feel more comfortable with the design opinions of a successful ex-professional racer who has been building frames for 20 years, or the opinions of a person who has built only a few frames but has considerable skill in advertising his product? As we indicated in the introduction of this book, we have tried to minimize our biases and opinions. Instead, we have tried to build a framework of facts to better enable you to form your own opinions. To this point, we have covered the basic methods of frame building, the parts that go together to complete a frame, and have reviewed the strengths and weaknesses of the parts. We then presented an inside look at many prominent builders. This section is devoted to a general summary of our opinions. When we started our research, we felt it important to include information about American builders. Most important for several reasons, and most obvious, is their proximity. In some cases, there is a frame builder in your own town. The problems of dealing with someone overseas can be entirely eliminated. This leads, how ever, to another important reason to cover American builders. Some of the builders are unqualified to build frames for public use. Some of their design theories are unsound as are their methods of construction. Unfortunately, we were unable to arrive at a meaningful analysis of the U.S. builders because of the limited basis for objective evaluation. The primary problem is the short time that most American builders have been in operation. As we mentioned earlier, several builders went out of business between the time we started and finished the project! European Strengths Although many of the Europeans call the American builders "90-day wonders," some of our builders have ac cumulated years of experience. Few, however, have been building frames prior to the bicycle boom of 1973. Even though we have little historical information with which to judge our builders, let's take a look at how they compare with the Europeans. As expected, the Europeans have time on their side. Most of the famous builders have more years of building experience than the total ages of our builders. In some instances, there is no substitute for experience. On the other hand, some of the builders never learned anything new after their first year in business. A substantial number of European builders have not changed their techniques because "that's the way I learned it." On the whole, the American builder is more experimental and tends to branch out from the traditional methods. Unfortunately, this experimentation is not always founded on accepted cycling principles. We have seen several frames that were de signed and built by American builders that followed general bicycle design theory but lacked the practicality that comes from experience. For instance, some builders have made frames with chainstays that are so short that the tire must be deflated to remove (or install) the rear wheel.' Others have designed extremely attractive rear seatstay clusters that are elegantly designed but technically unsound. The ability of the Americans to innovate is best shown by the widespread use of Du Pont Imron paint. Several American builders use only Imron paint because of its incredible resistance to chipping. The Italians appear to be the prime innovators in cycling. It is interesting to note, however, that they have purchased the manufacturing rights of several products designed by Pino Morroni of Detroit, Michigan. With the notable exception of Gerald O'Donovan of TI Raleigh, the Italians are responsible for the majority of the latest quality racing equipment. The Italians have the closest alliance with the professional bicycle racers who provide the "field testing." The Italian frame builders are generally considered to be the leading experts of interpreting a racer's needs and building a bicycle for those needs. On the other hand, the Italians have little interest in designing or producing top-quality touring bicycles. Any of the leading Italian frame builders can explain why a cast bottom bracket is important in a sprint or why the Italian section fork blade (called the continental section by TI Reynolds) is preferred for criterium’s; but none can tell you how to attach panniers! Even in the United Kingdom, where there is greater emphasis on touring frames, the majority of the top-class touring frames are exported to the United States. Innovations for Touring Although the Europeans have decades of racing experience, they have spent little time engineering and building top-quality touring framesets. The use of a lightweight top-quality bicycle for touring is a new concept developed in the United States. Some of the most innovative touring products (like Eclipse touring bags) were developed in this country to respond to the recently created demand. The reluctance of top-rated racers to use American framesets (excluding Schwinn) is partially attributable to the lack of racing experience of the American builder. On the other hand, the American builder has had great appeal to the tourist. Unlike the average tourist, the experienced racer usually understands the basics of proper bicycle positioning. The tourist usually has not been exposed to proper bicycle setup or riding technique. His or her main concern is the responsiveness of the builder to their requests for braze-on pannier fittings and special attachments. Where did the famous builders get their experience in frame building? As reviewed in the individual historical sections, many builders learned the art from an experienced family member or they were accepted as an apprentice. One American builder that we know of gained some experience in the United Kingdom: Matthew Assenmacher worked at JRJ Cycles. We were unable to find anyone in this country that had served as an apprentice in France or Italy. The majority of the American builders learned from the "school of hard knocks." The small European frame builders have another advantage over the Americans-their proximity to the major suppliers. Much of the developmental work for new products is performed by the major component manufacturers. For instance, when Cinelli designed his "new bicycle," Nisi made prototype 26-inch (66.7 cm.) rims and Clement made 26-inch tubulars. How many American builders can utilize the virtually unlimited resources of TI Reynolds, A. L. Colombo, and Campagnolo? The American frame builder obtains "new" components only after they have passed years of testing in Europe. Consequently, until the United States develops experienced component manufacturers, we will always be in the position of "following the leader." In most cases, we found complete cooperation with every builder we spoke to. Generally, we were given a tour of their facilities, explanations of the assembly processes, and detailed descriptions of the parts used. Only specific brazing compounds (most particularly silver solder) and exact brazing temperature information was withheld. Why? Virtually every master builder considers the brazing technique as the most important feature of a frame. To our surprise, one American builder refused to describe (or let us photograph) his assembly jig. He apparently believes that his jig is more important than design or brazing techniques. Art and Technology The Americans are technically oriented. The Europeans view frame building as an art. Most of the builders seemed to be motivated primarily by the desire to create a quality product. In many cases the profit motive appeared secondary. In the United States, the number of builders has increased dramatically since the bicycle boom. It is quite the opposite in Europe. Many of the European builders complained of their inability to interest young apprentices in the art of frame building. Most explained that a frame builder will never become rich because of the extensive amount of hand detailing that is required to produce a top-quality frame. We also found it interesting that some totally inexperienced American builders charged as much for their frames as those produced by some of the "old pros" who had been in business for 30 years! We presume that the builder must have decided on his necessary profit margin or he feels that a price that is lower than that of the most famous European builders would imply inferior quality. It is essential, for anyone who intends to purchase a custom frame, to investigate the reputation of the builder. There is no guarantee of quality simply because known lugs and tubing are used or because the price is high. The best equipment in the world won't help if improper brazing techniques are used. We have personally seen dozens of "basement" frames that have little more than quality components and a good paint job. Recently, at a Squaw Valley, California, training camp, a frame came apart during a minor crash. The tubes pulled out of the lugs on impact! When we spoke with ex professional racer Tim Mountford, he informed us that a similar incident had occurred with another frame made by the same American builder! Unfortunately, there are no current means of controlling the quality of independent builders. We agree with Tim when he says, "Any bicycle put on the road should meet certain minimum standards." The question is: Who will make or enforce those standards? We do not feel that it would be appropriate to make recommendations on which builders are "good" or "bad." The evaluation is not simple. We hope by presenting the technical opinions of the experts, that we have helped to contribute to a good decision on your part. Before you buy a frame, check into the credentials of the builder. Don't be misled by the builder's advertising. For instance, we saw an advertisement that suggested the consumer should consult the builder's design department for advice. Our analysis determined that the firm had only one employee, and he had built less than 25 frames in his lifetime! When you evaluate a frame, consider the time-tested success of the Europeans. Any innovation, whether European or American, should be evaluated solely on its merits. Even some of the most interesting ideas (like Cinelli Bivalent hubs) are no longer with us. Be analytical. Evaluate the skill and experience of the person building your next bicycle. If the builder effectively combines the experience of the masters with the ideas of the true innovators, you can be assured of an optimum bicycle for your individual needs. A final question regarding frame design: "What qualifies you, as a rider, to properly design a frame?" The question is not meant to discredit you. The question is meant to direct the design responsibility to the proper person-the qualified builder. You may remember that several of the builders who were interviewed indicated that they preferred to build a frame from the customer's specifications. Even some of the most famous master builders recognize that their skills lie in the building process, not the process of interpreting the individual's sizing requirements. Every builder could tell us the relationship for the length of the top tube to each corresponding frame size. Fewer builders, how ever, were able to categorically state exactly how they compensated for a rider with a disproportionately long torso. If the experienced builder doesn't feel qualified to make sizing judgments, how can the average rider feel qualified? The relationship between cycling coach and frame builder is a complex one. Although we feel comfortable discussing most elements of cy cling, we do not pretend to know how to design a frame that is "right" for each individual. Consequently, if you feel that your physique requires a special frame design, we recommend contacting a builder who specializes in fitting the frame to the rider. Let the expert determine the design. Fortunately, most of us will be able to comfortably fit on a bicycle that is designed for the "average" build. The important design criterion becomes the handling of the bicycle. The following sections cover the next logical step in a progression-using the information to most efficiently ride the bicycle as it was designed. Hopefully, the technical information and theory will provide a basis for understanding the "whys and wherefores of proper bicycle setup." An awareness of proper bicycle setup should assist you in making design decisions. So far, we have presented definitions, and construction and design opinions of the prominent experts. The following section should provide the final link in the frame information chain for most cyclists-proper bicycle setup. For those who are considering the purchase of a new frame, the book should provide an insight into the advantages and disadvantages of the components in a frame and, hopefully, it will answer many of the questions that were unanswered by the average bicycle shop. We hope that the information will assist you in deciding the specifications of your next frame. For those of you who are lucky enough to already own your dream bicycle, we hope that the following information will better enable you to enjoy it. |
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