Lugged steel, two-speed.

It fits, rides fine and true, comfortable; its just plain fun! Stem made by Tony Pereira. Sturmey Archer 2-speed kick-back, no-coaster-brake hub, in wheel I built, with just enough mechanical advantage to help me pedal up and over Seattle’s many moraines. UBI DT Swiss front wheel. Other miscellaneous new and used parts. Painting highlights are giant red indian paintbrush, Castilleja miniata, by Nicole. Thanks to UBI faculty and staff for a great experience, superb facility, and instructors extraordinaire – Joseph Ahearne, Tony Pereira, Ron Sutphin.

Thought I would send a couple of photographs of the finished bicycle from the frame I built at UBI last August (sans fenders). I took it for a couple mile ride for the first time today. It still needs a little adjusting but it is clear to me that this bike is head and shoulders above anything I have ever had before. The next bike will be even better.
Thanks for everything,
Roger

Wanted to say thanks again to you and my instructors at UBI – Ron And Gary. Attached is my fifth frame from my workshop here in Israel – first MTB 29ER. Thanks for great instruction and a great time.

I’m happy to be riding the frame built at the Portland, UBI Brazing class, July 2010. The bike was built to be an “all-arounder” with plenty of gearing and a comfortable position. It has a mix of Campy components, Paul brakes, Brooks Saddle, and a custom chro-moly front rack. With just a bit over 100 miles, the bike is proving to do, what it was designed for, really well. Many thanks to Ron Sutphin, Tony Pereira, and the UBI staff. My experiences this past summer were very memorable!!

Jim Duncan
St. Louis, Missouri

It’s been over a year since I completed the cromoly brazing course at UBI. I thought I should send along some pictures of my “completed” bike, as I promised to do when I left.

It took a while to find somewhere to build the fork, and even longer to complete one that I thought was good enough.

Now I ride the bike every day. It’s got pretty interesting handling, probably more to do with the 68-degree seat tube and very low bottom bracket than with the 20-inch wheels. I commute to work on this thing, and carry large loads on the rack. It’s got some clearcoat on it. I’ll probably wait to have it painted until I am sure I don’t need to braze anything else on.

I’m very happy I got the time to attend UBI and learn some of the basics of frame building. I’ve since built a long-tail cargo bike, and am starting on another small-wheeled bike for my girlfriend.

Jason Yen's loaded touring bike somewhere in Asia.

This is the touring bike I built in the February, 2010 class. I took the bike on a tour of Mongolia, inner Mongolia, and western China. The rack and fender mounts held up great even though I used silver instead of brass. Lots of things I would do differently, but that will wait till the next bike.

I attended UBI’s brazing course in August of 2009. I wanted a practical bicycle to be used for everyday fun, everyday practicality, and everyday style. I already commute daily on a vintage steel bike, but wanted one that I could casually go to the farmer’s market, go the movies, go to dinner, coffee, run weekend errands. I am infatuated with the Porteur style French bicycles of the 1920′s and 30′s that dominated the Parisian streets delivering newspapers and courier goods. It’s upright and comfortable, classic in styling, propped for utility but tweaked for Portland, Ore. living. Some highlights are wooden fenders, leather accouterments, integrated brass bell into stem, and nearly all U.S.A. made parts.

I’ve ridden it several times, and I like it quite a bit! Ron and Gary, thanks for all your help and encouragement. Despite the basement parts group, it rides and fits like I hoped it would. The paint job was done by the Color Factory, in Waretown,NJ. The learning process continues in my shop, where I hope to use my oxy/acetylene for more than cleaning out solder stuck in my plumbing torch.

[Gallery editor's note: Cory submitted this to us back in January, but it got lost in email heck. My apologies.]