Frequently Asked Questions

All of our students go home with a frame and fork. Some have minor finishing work to do.

• What kind of construction method will be used?
  You can choose to do either lugged or fillet brazing or a combination of the two. All forks are lugged construction.

• What type of frame can I build?
  The frame type design is your choice of road, track, cyclocross or commuter. (Rim size is 700c only and max tire size is 38c.) No BMX, tandem, touring or MTB due to lack of time and special fixture set-ups required to build such frames.
  Chain drive train frame only. We don't do belt drive.
  Road, cyclocross & commuter brake system choices are caliper (side or center pull) or cantilever. No disc or V-brake.

• What type of tubing?
  In this course, you will be building with a standard butted Chromoly tube set which is included in the course tuition. *25.4mm Top tube/28.6mm Seat,Down tube and 31.4mm Head tube (25.4mm Steer), 22.2mm Chain stay and 14.5mm or 16mm Seat stays.Cor
  Fork blades 24mm Oval. Lugged frame We use L.S., Everest Lug and Crowns.
  Standard steel Road, Track dropouts. We use L.S., Everest, Yamaguchi Original(Track). No Stainless steel dropouts are used in this class.

• Is fork construction part of the frame building course?
  Yes. Every student will build a frame and fork.

• Any experience necessary?
  No experience is necessary. You will do a lot of brazing practice developing heat control before you do any brazing on your frame. Some students have taken basic brazing/welding classes at their local community school and found the knowledge helpful, but is not necessary. You will learn good technique in this course.

• What is the daily schedule?
  Wear comfortable shoes (not sandals) because you will be standing all day. Layered clothing is best. We will break for lunch. You will have the weekend off unless you choose to take the stem building course on Saturday. See the Schedule and Prices page for exact dates and times.

• What does tuition include?
  The tuition includes a standard tube set, lugs if applicable, braze-ons, use of facilities, instruction, and Yamaguchi Frame building School Handbook. Tuition does not include lodging or travel expenses.

• What about lodging?
  We can e-mail a list of local lodging choices.

• How much of my frame construction will I do?
  You will do most of it. Koichi will demonstrate and guide you through the appropriate steps.

• What about paint and decals?
  Painting isn't taught in this course. Our Yamaguchi decals only go on frames that are 100% constructed by Koichi Yamaguchi. The good news is that there are many bike specific companies that will make you decals of your own design. You will leave with a unpainted frame to take to the painter of your choice. We can help you with recommendations for decal manufacturers and painters.