downsize the fantasy atmo -

[e-RICHIE]

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Downsize The Fantasy | RICHARD SACHS CYCLES

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ATMO Bis | RICHARD SACHS CYCLES



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[sam]

Good write up Richard,
it makes me wonder what is it about certain people that make them want to do things like be a framebuilder. I guess we all have the same reasons, we love bikes, like to make things, etc. but what is that internal drive in our brain that is different from the other people out there who also love bikes, but have no desire to build frames.

My high school days and early college days I bought stereo drivers from different brands built enclosues for both home and car use. I did it in part because I enjoyed doing it and in part because I could build a better speaker cheaper then what was available on the market, at least in the market that was in my price range.

I also have been fly fishing since a little kid, my dad builds his own rods for his own use. So I decided to build my last two rods, plus one for a friend. Fun to do once in a while but I will never be a so called rod builder. I also tie my own flies, thought it would be fun, also thought I could save a little money on flies, after a while you have over a grand tied up in feathers and it aint so cheap any more, but in the last 10 years of doing it I have tied 75% of all the flies I use, I just like it.

Fast forward to now, for quite some time I have thought about framebuilding. I would say the idea popped in my head @ 1998, about 4 or 5 years ago is when I kinda said at some point im gonna do it, and 2 years ago is when I started to take action. yes I have a masterplan as far as how I want it to go and what I want to do, but am also realistic and know that it may never come to fruit. If it does not come to fruit I will be ok with that, because it wont be for lack of trying, but you have to be able to develop the skills, be a business, and have the market desire your product and if one of these 3 things does not work out well it can end the plan.

so what is it about me and others that make us want to do this stuff, are we dreamers who live in fantasy land, or are we the kids that never grow up, are we a visionary destined for greatness. I would think that most framebuilders and those who want to be one, mostly come from the same mental typing.

[Kumo Cycles]

Deja Vu!

[e-RICHIE]

Deja Vu!

deja vu with some heavy editing atmo.

[EricKeller]

I built my first 4 frames in my bedroom in my mother's house. I feel like I spent too much time building a jig, but nowadays I see people building a low-production factory before they braze their first frame. And more than one person has just gone to the bank to get a second mortgage and sent most of it to Anvil. Only to find that they really don't want to build frames. Using some kind of machine to cut miters didn't really occur to me until I had built quite a few frames, and even then I gave up on it pretty quickly.

I think all this money would be better spent buying tubes. Granted, there still would be a $1000 investment before the first frame is built, but a lot less time and a lot more practice could be had.

[Jonathan]

Richard had a pretty big influence on me. When I started putting the blocks together to build that first frame I was a MSG board regular and active schemer wrt to tube mitering. I think most new guys or gals think there is some shortcut around filing a nice profile. After a few attempts it became clear that picking up the file IS the shortcut for doing the frames most new guys do.

I understand fully that production guys, tig welders and multishape tubers all benefit from a mechanical cut, but as Richard says on the left end of things the important stuff is learning the basics.