Big Forest Frameworks

Big Forest Frameworks Massgeschneiderte Stahl Fahrradrahmen und Rahmenbaukurs

27/05/2026

Building your own frame changes the way you look at bicycles forever.

Not because the bike becomes perfect.

But because it becomes personal.

Take the first step ↓

27/05/2026

Most people don’t fail because framebuilding is impossible.

They never start because it feels too complicated.

That’s why I built the online framebuilding course the way I did:

Step by step.
Small groups.
Real guidance.

Most people who join have never held a torch before.

And yet, a few months later, they’re riding something they built with their own hands.

The next group opens soon.

Take the first step ↓

27/05/2026

One of the biggest misconceptions about framebuilding is that you need years of experience before you can even start.

But honestly, most people in my course begin as complete beginners.

Many have never worked with a torch before.

Some are engineers.
Some are doctors.
Some work office jobs.

Some simply love bicycles and want to build something with their own hands for once.

And step by step, they learn how to design, braze, align, and finish their own steel frame.

That’s the part I love most.

Watching somebody go from:

“I don’t think I can do this…”

to riding a bicycle they built themselves.

The next online framebuilding group opens soon.

Take the first step ↓

Udo is 57. An architect. He runs his own office.Most days, he plans, coordinates, makes decisions.In the framebuilding c...
27/04/2026

Udo is 57. An architect. He runs his own office.
Most days, he plans, coordinates, makes decisions.
In the framebuilding course, all of that falls away.
He becomes a beginner again.
—
A few years ago, Udo and his partner gave up their car.
Since then, the bike isn’t for sport.
It’s part of everyday life.
Year-round.
To work.
In all conditions.
Reliable.
—
When it was time for a new bike, the options were obvious.
A well-built production bike.
Maybe something custom from a builder.
But that wasn’t the point.
It felt too passive.
—
In 2024, he visited Bespoked.
No real plan. Just curiosity.
Custom frames. Endless details.
Components far beyond standard production.
New ideas too. Titanium lugs, 3D printed.
A lot of inspiration.
Very little clarity.
—
The shift came later.
In a podcast episode of “Wundersame Fahrradwelt” by Johanna Jahnke, someone talked about a framebuilding course.
And a thought appeared:
Maybe I don’t have to choose one.
Maybe I can build it.
—
Udo isn’t starting from zero.
He trained as a carpenter before studying architecture.
He knows how to design.
He knows how to learn.
And still, this meant starting over.
Not knowing.
Asking questions.
Learning step by step.
—
The idea for the bike was clear.
Not a performance machine.
A companion.
For everyday use. In all weather.
Light enough for long distances.
Maybe a brevet. Maybe a bikepacking trip.
One bike.
—
What stayed with him from that week aren’t big milestones.
It’s the quiet moments.
The first look at the tubeset.
The color of the silver as it flows.
The smell.
A file in his hand.
Memories coming back.
—
Then, a moment.
The frame comes out of the jig.
Something that only existed in his head is suddenly real.
—
Later, doubt.
Then rhythm.
Material that starts to respond.
Transitions that soften.
Surfaces that change with the light.
Steel and silver working together.
—
Now, the bike is finished.
For the moment, it almost feels too special to ride.
But that will change.
The first brevet is already booked.
—
“An example of self-efficacy,” Udo says.
Not because he did everything alone.
But because he was part of it.
With guidance.
With materials.
With tools and knowledge from different directions.
And still—
with his own hands.
—
Since then, he looks at bikes differently.
Not as products.
But as the result of decisions.
Material. Process. Hands.
And maybe that’s the point.
—
If this resonates with you, you can find more out about the framebuilding course here: https://bigforestframeworks.com

Some ideas don’t let go.Especially when you work on bikes every dayand still can’t find one that really fits.For Hanno, ...
26/03/2026

Some ideas don’t let go.

Especially when you work on bikes every day
and still can’t find one that really fits.

For Hanno, it took seven years.

________________________________

Seven years between
“I’ll build my own frame someday”

and

👉 “Now is the time.”

________________________________

Hanno is 23.
Trained as a bike mechanic.
Now studying product design.

He tested countless bikes.

But none of them really worked:

geometry felt off

seat angle didn’t fit

toe overlap… always there

________________________________

So he built his own.

First as a modified MTB.
Then refined it for four years.

Until he realized:

👉 You can’t fix a bad frame with better components.

________________________________

So he started from scratch.

Designed his own geometry.
Built his own frame.

________________________________

Now?

👉 It finally fits.

________________________________

Not just a bike.

A step toward what he wants to do long-term.

________________________________

At some point, it shifts.

From
“Someday”

to

👉 Now is the time.

________________________________

If that sounds familiar, you know what to do.

Build your own frame now: https://bigforestframeworks.com/en/frame-building-courses/
________________________________

Henning didn’t buy this bike.He built it.It started with a borrowed mountain bike from his brother. After just a few kil...
17/03/2026

Henning didn’t buy this bike.

He built it.

It started with a borrowed mountain bike from his brother. After just a few kilometers he noticed something different about the ride.

The bike felt alive.

It was a steel frame.

Back home he started researching steel bikes and eventually discovered Big Forest Frameworks.

Not long after, Henning joined the framebuilding course in Potsdam and built this steel hardtail for riding the forest roads and trails of the Vogtland and Erzgebirge.

Simple. Functional. Built for real riding.

2.4" tires.
A 38T chainring.
Perfect for long days in the Mittelgebirge.

But the most special part isn’t a technical detail.

It’s the feeling of riding a bike
where you know every tube and every joint.

Because you built it
with your own hands.

________________________________

What would you build?

A steel gravel bike?
A fast road bike?
Or a hardtail like Henning’s? 🚲

________________________________

Many people come to the framebuilding course because they want a new bicycle.Jimi came for a different reason.He wanted ...
10/03/2026

Many people come to the framebuilding course because they want a new bicycle.

Jimi came for a different reason.
He wanted to build a frame.

For years the idea had been in the back of his mind.
Not buying a bike. Not ordering one.

Building one.
With his own two hands.

There was another connection as well.

Jimi’s father was a welder. Working with metal, shaping it, joining it together – that was something Jimi grew up around.

So when he stood in the workshop with a Brenner, stainless steel tubes in front of him, and silver slowly flowing into the joints, it felt strangely familiar.

Step by step the frame began to take shape.

Somewhere along the way another idea appeared: if you’re building your own frame, why not make it a travel bike?

Jimi decided to add S&S couplings, which allow the frame to be separated and packed into a suitcase. In about 15 minutes the bike can be taken apart and travel anywhere in the world.

But the real story isn’t about couplings.

And it isn’t even really about the bicycle.
Because building a frame is never just about building a frame.

It’s about taking raw material and turning it into something meaningful with your own two hands.

Something real.

In a world where so much of our work happens on screens, there is something deeply satisfying about creating an object that will exist for decades and carry you across roads, forests and mountains.

And every time Jimi rides this bike, he knows exactly where it came from.

He built it himself.

📷 Rider:





What happens when someone stops talking about ideas — and builds one with their hands? Earlier this year, Dan from Norwa...
12/12/2025

What happens when someone stops talking about ideas — and builds one with their hands? Earlier this year, Dan from Norway joined our 5 Day Frame Building Course.

Dan has spent more than 30 years riding bikes.
Mountain biking, touring, bikepacking across the world.
He’s owned and built over 100 bikes and even ran a custom shop assembling high-end dream bikes for others.

But there was one thing he had never done:
Build his own frame.

He arrived with a clear vision.
A hardtail that could handle steep, technical terrain.
Comfortable enough for multi-day bikepacking.
Designed to run either a 29” or 27.5” rear wheel.

What made this especially interesting:
Dan had no prior metalworking experience.
What he did have was curiosity, confidence, and a willingness to learn something completely new.

Over five days in the workshop, an idea slowly became reality.
Drawings turned into tubes.
Tubes were mitered and fit.
Mitered tubes get brazed to become a frame.

That moment — when someone holds the physical result of their own thinking and effort in their hands — never gets old.

A few weeks later, the frame was painted, built up, and ridden.
Dan’s first rides took place on local forest trails and along the fjords in Norway.

His feedback was honest and direct:
“Honestly, the bike is amazing.
It’s the most capable hardtail I’ve ever ridden.”
For me, that’s not just about the bike.
It’s about what happens when people step away from screens, meetings, and abstract work — and focus fully on a tangible project with a clear beginning and end.

Many participants come from demanding professional backgrounds. What they often take home is more than a frame.
They leave with confidence, focus, and the realization that they can still learn complex, physical skills — even without prior experience.

When I asked Dan if he would ever build another frame, his answer was immediate:

Yes.

That’s how new chapters begin.

If you’ve ever thought about building your own bike frame — or simply want to spend five days fully focused on learning a real, hands-on craft — feel free to reach out or have a look at our 5 Day Frame Building Course.

Happy to answer questions.

https://bigforestframeworks.com/en/mtb-frame-building-course/

🎄✨ Christmas Ride & Party – Let’s wrap up the year together ✨🎄The season is here — lights are glowing, the days are shor...
09/12/2025

🎄✨ Christmas Ride & Party – Let’s wrap up the year together ✨🎄

The season is here — lights are glowing, the days are short… and it’s the perfect moment to come together for one last ride before the year ends.

On December 18, we’re hosting our BIG Forest Christmas Ride & Party and you’re invited. ❤️🚴
We roll out at 18:30 from our backyard in Alt Nowawes 24, Potsdam.

A relaxed 37 km evening loop, perfect for all levels. No pressure. No drop. Just good legs, good vibes, and a whole bunch of people who love bikes as much as you do.

Afterwards?
🔥 Glühwein
🍲 Festive food
🎁 A fun cycling-themed gift exchange — and your present doesn’t need to be new. Something used-but-loved, funny, or surprising is absolutely welcome. (~20 €)
And this year…

✨ We’re adding a special surprise event during the Christmas party. Something we’ve never done before — and you definitely don’t want to miss it.

For us, this evening is more than a party.
It’s a celebration of the community we’re building — week by week, ride by ride, frame by frame.

So pump up the tires, pull out the warm gloves, and come celebrate the end of the year with us.
Let’s ride into the night, raise a cup of Glühwein, and enjoy a beautiful evening together. 🚲❤️🎅

See you on the 18th!

27/11/2025

Wenn du Ivo heute triffst, irgendwo hoch oben zwischen Walensee und den Churfirsten, dann siehst du sofort: Dieses Bike gehört hierher.
Hellblau. Fillet Brazed. Campagnolo 1x13.
Ein Rad, das aussieht, als hätte es die Alpen schon immer gekannt.

Dabei beginnt seine Geschichte nicht auf einem Pass – sondern vor dem Bildschirm.
Ivo wollte einen Stahlrahmen. Einen richtigen. Einen, der nicht nur funktioniert, sondern lebt.
Monatelang suchte er, klickte sich durch Marken, Foren, Angebote.
Nichts fühlte sich richtig an.

Bis er auf unsere kleine Rahmenbauwerkstatt in Potsdam stieß.

Zwei Jahre ist das jetzt her. Und bis heute erzählt er davon, als wäre es gestern gewesen.
Fünf Tage, die für ihn alles verändert haben.
Zuschneiden, feilen, mit dem Brenner das erste Mal wieder eine Flamme in der Hand.
Fillet Brazed – weil er genau dieses schnörkellose, sportliche Finish wollte.
Und der Moment, in dem das Tretlager das erste Mal Wärme bekam, war der Moment, in dem er merkte:
„Das schaffe ich.“

Er ließ den Rahmen bei uns, wir schickten ihn zum Pulverbeschichten.
Ein paar Wochen später hielt er das Ergebnis in den Händen: ein hellblauer Graveltraum.
Campagnolo Ekar 1x13. DT Swiss Carbon Wheels. Tune. Chris King in Orange.
Eine Columbus Cross Gabel, die wir ihm besorgt haben – mit ordentlich Reifenfreiheit für die Schweizer Berge.

Und jedes Mal, wenn er losfährt, spürt er nicht nur die Laufruhe von Stahl.
Sondern dieses ganz besondere Gefühl:
„Ich habe diesen Rahmen selbst gebaut.“

Heute steht er oben im Flumserberg, die Berge leicht in Wolken, der Walensee tief unter ihm.
Und sein Bike?
Fährt überall hin.
Weicher. Ruhiger. Persönlicher.

Ivo hat vorher Carbon gefahren. Aluminium.
Aber dieses Rad – das ist etwas anderes.
Ein Stück Handwerk. Ein Stück Schweiz. Ein Stück Ich.

Und am Ende des Videos sagt er den Satz, der für uns alles bedeutet:
„Es war ein absolutes Erlebnis.“

Bau 2026 deinen eigenen Stahlrahmen.

Adresse

Alt Nowawes 24
Potsdam
14482

Telefon

+4915901532779

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