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The Bicycle Academy Closes Its Doors
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chippsFull Member
After ten years of teaching framebuilding, designing and selling frame jigs and generally being a force for good for British framebuilding, the West C …
By chipps
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bruneepFull Memberstart a thread later than the one forum and close the thread posted before you. 👏
Posted 2 months agochippsFull MemberI 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 months agotomhowardFull MemberIt’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 months agochippsFull MemberThere’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 months agomonkeyboyjcFull MemberAh 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 months agokelvinFull MemberGood people.
Posted 2 months agosillyoldmanFull MemberSorry to hear – I’d always hoped to do a frame with them at some point.
Posted 2 months agomick_rFull MemberI 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 months agothisisnotaspoonFull MemberWould 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 months agosteviebatesFull MemberAhh 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 months agoajantomFull MemberI 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 months agocookeaaFull MemberShame 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 months agorootes1Full Memberwonder how many creditors, (companies and customers) out of pocket…
knock on impact to quite a few.
Posted 2 months agorootes1Full MemberI 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 months agopatonFree MemberpatonFree MemberPosted 2 months agopatonFree Member“..well regarded one closer to Yorkshire…”
Posted 2 months agoFrame Building Courses – Burning Ambtion To Build Your Own Handmade Steel Frame?
patonFree MemberpatonFree Memberrootes1Full Memberassume the TBA frames went into the wider bicycle relief / buffalo bike / Qhubeka builds given they share frame design.
Posted 2 months agoAlexSimonFull MemberAndrew 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 months agosquirrelkingFree MemberI 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 months agohite-riteFree MemberThey 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 months agorootes1Full MemberI’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 months agopatonFree MemberPossibly a photo from happier times.
Posted 2 months agopatonFree MemberPart 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/
Posted 2 months ago
woody74Full MemberThat’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 1 month agopatonFree Memberhttps://m.facebook.com/100063634475174/
Geoff Roberts cycles still do frame building courses.
Posted 1 month ago
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