Building a cruiser bike frame?

Question

Anyone had any experience in putting together a "slow" bike from tubes? I'm sure there are some people who've built carbon road bikes, but I'm looking to lug a steel bike together.

So...is this process less like welding, and more like putting together home copper plumbing, like sweating the joint and adding the flux in?

I don't have a welder (or know how to weld), and I've heard that the cheaper electric welders may just destroy the bike tubes anyway, so I was thinking that brazing would be a smarter route.

Any thoughts on the subject? Thanks.

Answer 1

In the dear, dead days of my youth, lots of lugged, steel bikes were brazed.  Higher end bikes were silver soldered.  Only very low end bikes were welded.  That, of course, all changed as people began to build frames from aluminum.

As another respondent pointed out, you really need a frame jig to properly construct your bike.  Here is an example of a bike jig:

http://www.henryjames.com/ujig.html

You might also want to take a frame building course where you get a bit of instruction and the utilization of a jig while building your own frame.

http://www.bikeschool.com/frame.htm

http://www.brewracingframes.com/id56.htm

I am sure you are already aware of this, but building a bike is a lot more complicated that plumbing.  Besides welding, brazing, soldering, etc., there is a tremendous amount of fitting, grinding, filleting, etc. that goes into a quality frame.  When that's all done, you've got to ream and face the head tube for bearing cups.  You've also got to ream and face the bottom bracket as well as tap it for the bearings.

BTW How are you going to finish your new ride?

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Both answers are great but it must be added that solder is to stop water leaks and has no real strength at all for a lugged frame.

Brass brazing of the lugs is most commonly used but the lugs can be welded with an electric  wire feed welder if you have some talent with one.[lot's of talent]

I hope this can be of some assistance to you

As well good luck and I hope to see a pic of one of your frames soon

Answer 3

Building a lugged frame is exactly like sweating together copper tubing. A bike frame can be brazed together using a MAP gas torch (I'm talking about the little ones that come in canisters like propane does).

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=pr...

You can buy tubes from Nova Cycle Supply

http://www.novacycles.com/catalog/index....

The hardest part is building your own frame jig, so you can weld the frame straight.

http://www.instructables.com/id/The-simp...