The Bicycle Academy Closes Its Doors

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This topic has 28 replies, 17 voices, and was last updated 2 years ago by paton.

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The Bicycle Academy Closes Its Doors
bruneep
Full Member

start a thread later than the one forum and close the thread posted before you. 👏

Posted 2 years ago

chipps
Full Member

I think it’s an automatic thing, @bruneep. Plus, there wasn’t a thread when I started writing the story. 🙂

There’s not currently a way of writing a forum post, then folding it into the story that we then write, though that would be a handy feature for breaking news to avoid double posts.

Posted 2 years ago

tomhoward
Full Member

It’s because it’s an article, that I imagine took longer to produce than my dozen or so words. I’m cool with it (And expected it).

Posted 2 years ago

chipps
Full Member

There’s now a link from the closed thread to here.

I still use my Grinduro bottle opener regularly. Andrew even got Scot Nicol from Ibis brazing one – the first time Scot had picked up a torch in decades, he reckoned.

With Downland Cycles also not teaching building any more, this won’t be good for anyone wanting to get into the money-burning occupation of building custom frames.

Posted 2 years ago

monkeyboyjc
Full Member

Ah man….

It’s always been on my bucket list to do one of their courses – never had the spare time & money to dedicate to it.

Hopefully they, or similar will be running again when I retire….

Posted 2 years ago

kelvin
Full Member

Good people.

Posted 2 years ago

sillyoldman
Full Member

Sorry to hear – I’d always hoped to do a frame with them at some point.

Posted 2 years ago

mick_r
Full Member

I went looking for brazing rod on their site a couple of days ago – guess this explains why there wasn’t much stock.

I met Andrew on a framebuilder meet-up back when they were starting up, and then a few times at Bespoked when they seemed very established and successful – he was a very enthusiastic and interesting guy. I never got round to doing a brazing day with them (just bodged at home / made it up as I went along) but still very sad to see them go.

Posted 2 years ago

thisisnotaspoon
Free Member

Would be interesting to see just how many brands have started off the back of them. Fingers crossed they all move on to something good.

With Downland Cycles also not teaching building any more, this won’t be good for anyone wanting to get into the money-burning occupation of building custom frames.

I suppose the market for ~£2.5k steel frames to the top 1% is fairly recession proof whereas the market for ~£1k courses( *indulgent holiday for most?) to the ~top 50% isn’t.

Posted 2 years ago

steviebates
Free Member

Ahh I had my eye on their frame building course once I’d saved a few quid and had holiday days from work. Hope I can find a well regarded one closer to Yorkshire for next year.

Posted 2 years ago

ajantom
Full Member

I was one of the original Kickstarter backers 😁 still have my bag, some badges (too hot, more rod) and even my ‘we built this’ t-shirt.

Had a great week with them and learning brazing from the master Brian Curtis.

Sad theyre closing, but they had a wide ranging positive impact.

Posted 2 years ago

cookeaa
Full Member

Shame but also this:

I suppose the market for ~£2.5k steel frames to the top 1% is fairly recession proof whereas the market for ~£1k courses( *indulgent holiday for most?) to the ~top 50% isn’t.

It’s not all that surprising really that doing a reasonably costly frame building course is on lots of people’s ‘one day’ (but probably never) lists, and as we hit a recession, following 2 years of social distancing and lockdowns the outfit offering that very course closes down…

Doesn’t bode well for the old “skills based economy” eh?

Cheers yet again again Brexit/COVID/Tories…

Posted 2 years ago

rootes1
Free Member

wonder how many creditors, (companies and customers) out of pocket…

application-pdf

knock on impact to quite a few.

Posted 2 years ago

rootes1
Free Member

I backed the original crowd fund and did a brazing course which was a good day out.

Never got the chance to do a whole frame, does anyone know what happened to all the early Africa frames that TBA student built and then were destined for Africa?

Posted 2 years ago

paton
Free Member

https://m.facebook.com/TheBicycleAcademy/photos/a.219359478081829/1265346976816402/?type=3&__cft__%5B0%5D=AZUn7ahu62i4p5rXQN2w3Bhi6RbwwAaqI1HarUSNgwA4m26FlSmkqUq0LyxnABgRJv6J2n_NsZOBrS8YoLvkTk8IM9tTO6_0KCcCH62Cq9J2gS9zAeY2P7GPkpfxdfz_VVck6-ImM1X0iDySxh7lWVmsDrQx_iddCcGXzu7OPpGYIvxHyspJMgBSgms3SrIv9zms53J3fzeWa2TxJdUrf6_I&__tn__=EH-R

Posted 2 years ago

paton
Free Member

https://m.facebook.com/TheBicycleAcademy/

Posted 2 years ago

paton
Free Member

“..well regarded one closer to Yorkshire…”

Frame Building Courses – Burning Ambtion To Build Your Own Handmade Steel Frame?

Posted 2 years ago

paton
Free Member

Posted 2 years ago

paton
Free Member

Other courses

Frame Building Courses

Frame Building Courses – Burning Ambtion To Build Your Own Handmade Steel Frame?

Frame Building Courses

https://www.lafraisecycles.com/framebuildingcourse

5 Day Frame Building Course

Framebuilding Courses

– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGliC3AaRNk –

Posted 2 years ago

rootes1
Free Member

@paton,

assume the TBA frames went into the wider bicycle relief / buffalo bike / Qhubeka builds given they share frame design.

Buffalo Bicycle | Engineering For Change

Posted 2 years ago

AlexSimon
Full Member

Andrew is a friend of a friend so had a tour of the workshop and saw the attention-to-detail on the jigs.
Came away very impressed by the whole operation and vibe of the place.

He was pretty handy in a go-kart too!

Sounds like he’s got something planned for the new year and I’m sure he’ll do well and look forward to following along!

Posted 2 years ago

squirrelking
Free Member

I suppose the market for ~£2.5k steel frames to the top 1% is fairly recession proof whereas the market for ~£1k courses( *indulgent holiday for most?) to the ~top 50% isn’t.

I’d say you couldn’t be further from the truth. Burf (of BTR) makes no secret about how shitty things have got over the past few years.

Posted 2 years ago

hite-rite
Free Member

They seem to have gone from £0 to £174k in “intangible assets” (goodwill / brand value / IP) in 1 x financial years (2019 accounts were restated after the appointment of a new Director in June 2021.

On face value that seems a bit odd and a challenge to the materiality of the Intangible Assets would likely tip the company into insolvency.

Posted 2 years ago

rootes1
Free Member

I’m not sure I like the smiling goodbye photo given that appears quite a few people/companies appear to be taking a hit financially (if I have read the liquidation statement correctly).

Posted 2 years ago

paton
Free Member

Possibly a photo from happier times.

Posted 2 years ago

paton
Free Member

Part of what The Bicycle Academy business was to supply tools and equipment for frame builders.
This included frame fixtures, but others have tried to supply affordable fixtures.
https://www.facebook.com/bicyclemanufacturinglimited/

Don Ferris at Anvil

https://cobraframebuilding.com/

HYDRA

FRAMES MANUCTURING – Assembly

Frame Fixture

https://www.simplebicycleco.com/tools

https://benchmarkjig.weebly.com/#/

Posted 2 years ago

woody74
Full Member

That’s a real shame to hear as I had a great week with them learning how to build a frame. I felt like I had learnt a real skill and it has allowed me to build a few other frames. Good luck to them all

Posted 2 years ago

paton
Free Member

https://m.facebook.com/100063634475174/

Geoff Roberts cycles still do frame building courses.

Posted 2 years ago