If you two-wheel dreams include riding your own
custom-built frame, it’s time to turn that fantasy into reality.
And yes, there’s room for one more bike in your
garage or basement.
Jeffrey Bock, a local frame builder with 30 years
of experience and a huge regional following, is now accepting students for a
new class. Bike friends, this doesn’t happen; Jeff’s last class finished up their
frames in March 2009.
Jeff operates a small shop between Slater and Ames
where he builds custom frames and restores classic bikes. It didn’t take any prompting
to sweep up testimonies about the value of building a frame under the Jeff’s
stewardship.
“I would highly recommend Jeff Bock's frame
building class to anyone who was thinking about undertaking a project like
this,” says Ed Veak, co-owner of Beaverdale Bicycles. “The class taught me how
to build a bike frame and how to appreciate the ‘art’ of frame building.
“Jeff’s class will enlighten you to the elegance of
the steel bike frame. You will never look at a bike again without also seeing
the lines and joints, plus knowing the craftsmanship that goes into the design
and execution of building a beautiful bike. Since completing Jeff’s class, I
have attended four North American Handmade Bicycle Show. Jeff's frames put most
of the exhibitors to shame.”
“Do a little research,” Ed added, “and you will
find Jeff’s classes are reasonably priced considering you don't have to travel
out of state, use vacation time, or spend money on travel, food and lodging. We
are so lucky to have Jeff living in the Des Moines area. This class is worth
every penny and hour invested.”
“Jeff’s classes are spread out over eight weeks or
so, allowing you to digest and practice what you've learned before moving onto
the next section. This beats the intense three- to five-day workshops most
frame-building classes offer. And remember, you finish the class
with your very own, one-of-a-kind, handmade frame that you built with your own
blood, sweat and tears.
“The experience has not only left me with a greater
knowledge and respect for the craft of frame building but my wife, Jen, got a
perfect-fitting touring frame. I also gained some great new friends along the
way.”
Sam Au, now a sophomore at Iowa State, enrolled in
Jeff’s class while a student at Roosevelt High School.
“I went into Jeff’s frame-building class without
any formal experience with bike frames and practically no time working with
metals,” Same recalls. “Jeff was an incredibly patient teacher. He gave me the
freedom to get a feel for the tools and materials on my own, while providing
helpful advice along the way. I gained a deep appreciation for the art of
hand-built frames.
“If you enroll in this class, you have a beautiful
bicycle that you can hop on and ride on your favorite route.”
Let’s drop a few more names: Other class graduates
include Forrest Ridgway, Rob “Specialized Rob” Versteegh, Bill Rumme, Joe
Ayers, Jim Lanning, Gordon Borthwick, Michael Fatka, and Steve Rhodes (Skunk
River Cycles service manager).
Here are Jeff's details about the next class.
Shop location
Classes
are held in my shop in Napier in Story County. This country-crossroads community
is north of Slater and south of Ames. It’s about a 45-minute drive from Des
Moines.
Class size
Four
students is ideal
Class meeting and homework
Student schedules and
availability will determine when the classes will meet. Because of my previous
Des Moines teaching duties, I’ve always run the classes on Sunday afternoons
for 8 to 10 weeks consecutively. But I’ve recently retired from the school
system! So, all-new options have opened up.
Schedules that come to
mind: Weekly on Saturday or Sunday or twice weekly, depending on your schedules
and preferences. I was thinking Sunday (or Saturday) plus one other day in the
middle of the week. This would allow time, if you were so inclined, to do your
homework.
Yes, homework, which could
include prepping, filing and finishing. It is entirely possible to complete a
frame and fork in the allotted class time doing little if any homework if you
will be content with basic production level finish-work as opposed to artisan
level.
If you are still reading:
• When would you like to
start the class series?
• What day or days of the
week would suit you best?
Frame Options
You should plan on
building a lugged steel frame. Unless you have considerable brazing experience,
I’m going to rule out any design that requires extensive fillet brazing. Frame
styles that are within the scope of this class include:
• Classic road
• Randonneur
• Touring
• Cyclocross
• Commuter/town
The frame you build should
fit a wheel/tire size of 700C, 650B or 26-inch up to (if we really press it)
44mm (1.75 inches) in width.
You can opt to build with:
• Traditional tube
dimensions (1-inch top tube, 1-1/8 down tube, 1-1/4 head tube with a 1-inch
threaded steerer)
• Oversize with
traditional 1-inch threaded steerer (1-1/8 top tube, 1-1/4 down tube)
• Modern oversize (1-1/8
top tube, 1-1/4 down tube, 36mm head tube and a threadless 1-1/8 inch steerer)
I usually make a recommendation
based on the individual rider and his/her intended purposes for the bike.
Functionally and aesthetically, there are pros and cons to each. If you don’t
have a strong preference and/or don’t know — we should get together soon and
discuss the options.
Sorry, you can’t wait
until classes start to decide a frame style; I’ll need to order materials.
Bottom Line
The $2,750 fee includes all the instruction and
needed materials to build a complete frame and fork with a single-color paint
job. Multi-color paint, graphics and some other options are available at
additional fee.
More
details
If you‘re interested, please contact Jeff Bock at jeffbock@ix.netcom.com
or 515-232-9593