make that link: http://www.frameforum.net
i apologize...
On Thu, 3 Jun 2004 11:52:13 -0400 Richard M Sachs <richardsachs@juno.com> writes: great story in the current issue of Bicycle Retailer regarding a fine fellow - Neil Hassan - who's gotta be considered a "Keeper of the Flame"... e-RICHIE chester
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here:
Neil Hassan Hopes to Keep Frame Builder's Torch Lit Via the Net by Matt Wiebe
London, England - Neil Hassan cut his frame-building teeth at Rattray's in Glascow, Scotland, and Holdsworth's in London. In those days, building custom frames was considered high art and those who wanted to learn it apprenticed under a master of the craft.
"There were so many tricks to learn from other frame builders I worked with. Simple inexpensive tools that made the job easier, knowledge of where the special parts of the frame were. Now, so few people are left who know the craft," Hassan said.
As a way of keeping the knowledge he learned as a young student alive, Hassan launched a frame-building resource web site complete with a forum.
Hassan said he hopes http://www.frameforum.com will become a resource and meeting place where professional and hobbyist frame builders can come together and exchange their knowledge.
"So many of the successful frame builders today apprenticed with some well-established names and so many of them have become one-person shops these days that the entire apprentice track is no longer an option.
"I hope the forum can continue this apprentice tradition and the builders
with years of experience can help those new to the craft, " Hassan said.
Hassan, who works for a large private-label frame builder in Italy, got the idea for the web site while trying to locate aluminum track dropouts with
steel faces for a special-project bike he was building.
Although he found the dropouts by using an e-mail list for frame builders, he thought the community needed a better way to exchange information.
"Who wants to get into the frame building business these days? People know it isn't easy making a living at it, and so many people think the expense of getting started is too much.
"Hopefully, the forum will give them the support they need and the guidance and tricks to help keep costs down," he said.
"More than 200 people have registered in a little over a month, including
Richard Sachs and Peter Weigle, who have been stopping by and commenting in the forum every now and then. The interest is a bit surprising," he added.
Hassan said he plans to add a classified section to help beginners find vital on-the-job experience as well as help the pros find a willing pair of helping hands.
The web site's Links and Resources section provides tube and fork specifications, manufacturer data and other useful information, making it a one-stop source for frame builders of all skill levels.