Stinner where you at bro? Its a rant bro!

Disclaimer: I have got a lot of emails and comments about this post. Some good, some bad. This post is not directed at any builders in particular. No one should take any offense to this. If anything it gave me an opportunity to explain why I think I am a good builder. I'm not mad at anyone and no one is mad at me. No one has ever told me I was a bad builder. In fact as far as I know, I have zero issues with any builders. This rant is purely based on opinions from people that I have read around the net. Please do not take me too seriously! Thank you and I apologize if I offended anyone, it wasn't intended. Cheers.

The last month has been hectic. As many of you may or may not know. I will be at NAHBS this year. I have been pretty excited about it. I have spent the last couple of months working with a good friend Chris Ellefson on a 29er Hardtail that I will be showing off at the show. We did some trick stuff to the bike, but also made it 100% functional. Chris is a good rider. Wait, let me rephrase that, Chris is a great rider. I am very happy to know that this beautiful bike will be ridden. Hard.

That being said, there is a lot of stress in getting ready for a show like this. I pushed my creative limit on this bike, so there was a lot of new territory that I had to get acquainted with. There is also the deadline of making sure it gets done, on time. I buffered about a month of time and I needed every single ounce of that time. Go figure.

Most of my posts over the last year and half have been about building bikes, pictures of completed projects, tooling, etc. Well, as I will still be posting most of the pictures, they will be in albums on flickr for individuals I am building frames for, to see their bikes come together. Which will leave the blog for pictures of completed frames and my chance to voice my opinion on bikes, bike market, fit, tools, etc. I try to keep my opinions to myself most of the time. I have been in the bike industry for 10+ years, so I get a little jaded sometime. That being said, I have a bit of rant that has been waiting to come out, since this is especially relevant going to the show, I feel as though I have to share.

New builders and the "booming" framebuilder market. Its been a hotly debated topic on the VSalon, MTBR, FrameForum, Blogs, Conversations, etc. ( I do love these sites though and they are filled with valuable information)IMHO! Many respectable builders that I think very highly of and I have been following for a long time are having a hard time with new builders. Its like being around "bike mechanic lifers". You know, the old dude that has a huge wealth of knowledge but he is way over opinionated. So what do these builders have a problem with? Mostly in the fact that anyone can throw together a website, market themselves and then build piss poor products. Or build products for people while still learning the basics. Or all of the above. These builders want you to serve the time. They want you to get some sort of apprenticeship, work for a big small company (IF, Merlin, Moots, etc.),  work for a big builder, etc. They don't want every kid graduating from UBI building bikes as a so called "framebuilder". Seeing as I have been building for a little over two years, I went to UBI and I never worked for a "framebuilder". You can't help but take it personally.

Here is the deal "atmo" as RSachs likes to call it. The room for apprenticeships is small in the framebuilding community. Its not like it was in the 80's. Small builders are one man shops and that's how they like it, few bring on help. I made the phone calls and tried to seek out the position, no one was hiring.

So whats a guy to do? How am I supposed to learn, practice, get better? No one wants to hire me. Like I said before I have over 10+ years working in a bike shop. Everything from sweeping floors, scrubbing toilets to fitting professional riders and managing a successful bike shop. So I put together a checklist. All the hats that a framebuilder needs in order to be successful. Hopefully the following helps people who don't know me, get a better idea of my qualifications. My list went as follows.

Framebuilder (welding, mitering, aligning, tubing selection)
Frame Designer
Bicycle Fitter
Bicycle Mechanic
Salesman
Customer Service (phone calls, emails, guiding purchases, attitude)
Warranty
Inventory
Accountant
Marketer
Bicycle Rider
Advocate
Professional hand holder
Toilet scrubber
ETC.

So I put together the list and checked off all that applied. I think there were a few more, but I can't find the list right now. I was able to check off all of the above except Framebuilder and I put a half check mark next to Accountant. Lets work our way down the list shall we?

Frame Designer - I have ridden hundreds of bikes. Steel, Aluminum, Carbon, Ti. Road, Mtn, CX, Touring. I know geometry, I know what works, I know what doesn't. I can tell anyone with confidence which frame will work for them and what will not for their given needs.

Bicycle Fitter - I have hundreds of fits under my belt. Everything from a recreational cyclist to the pros. I have seen the whole spectrum.

Bicycle Mechanic - I have been wrenching on bikes for over 12 years. I worked my way through that rank. If anything, this is my strong suit. Not to mention I have raced for well known pro teams as well.

Salesman - I know what people want. If there is one thing you get good at working in a shop is reading people. Most salesman could tell you what someone is going to walk out the door with before they even open their mouth.

Customer Service -  A Biggie! You have to know cyclists. You have to know how to handle them. They are delicate and picky. You have to work with them and do a lot of listening.

Warranty - What happens when you mess up? Or there is a problem?

Inventory - Try stocking bike shops, making sure you have what you need in stock. No one likes to wait and everyone wants everything on time. Especially people that ride bikes!

Accountant - I'm far from it, but figured I could probably teach myself enough to stay out of trouble. I mean I graduated college.

Marketer - Knowing what people want and how to market bicycles doesn't come easy. It takes a long time and a lot of inside knowledge to know what sells.

Bicycle Rider / Advocate - I have ridden and raced all over. I love bicycles. I love riding them. I feel like this is what most bicyclists have in common. If you don't have this, you don't have the love for the product. Its a must.

So the only thing I was missing was the framebuilding. When I say framebuilding, I mean the process in "manufacturing" a bicycle frame. Tooling needed, brazing, welding, etc. UBI helped me get the basics down but there was still so much to learn. So why in the world did I need to beg someone for a job so I could build frames? I didn't! I just had to spend the time getting better at brazing/welding and mitering. So I did. Are my fillets the prettiest out there? Not Yet. Is my welding the prettiest? Not yet. Do I charge a high dollar amount? No I do not. Are you getting a straight, dependable, rideable, life lasting frame? Hell Yes! My frames are safe. 100%. I wouldn't sell them if I didn't think they were.

So to tie everything together. We all have different paths. I had 80% of the knowledge before I even picked up the torch.

So I say let the cream rise to the top. I like to let my bikes do the talking for me. So in the mean time I will keep my head down and keep building. Keep getting people on bikes and being an advocate for the lifestyle. I know I still have a lot to learn too. Just don't stick a pump in spokes bro!

Thanks for listening!
Cheers.