This article originally appeared in the November 1979 issue of Competitive Cyclist. Reprinted without permission.

As a U.S. phenomenon, quality frame building has been a fairly recent development.  Prior to the bike boom of the early 1970s, most framesets purchased by Americans were made in Italy, France, or England.  In those days, there were a few American builders of noted worth—such as Chicago's Oscar Wastyn for one, and his prot»g» Albert Eisentraut for another—but they were few in number compared to their European counterparts.

Though the quality of American workmanship is now established, the jury is still out whether the American framebuilder can forge a life long career at his trade.  We would like to introduce CC readers to a cycling craftsman who has been plying his trade for three decades.  When 48 year old Ron Cooper began building framesets, the Dodgers were still in Brooklyn, Dwight Eisenhower was President, and Bill Haley and the Comets were "Rock[ing] Around the Clock."

A number of our readers are already familiar with Cooper, as they ride his bicycle.  40-50% of Cooper's frames are sold in the U.S.A., and the reason for that success, according to Ron, lies in his fortuitous relationship with his distributor, Larry Mercereau [Competition Cycles], who contributed to this interview.

Ron Cooper has tremendous respect for the "American lads" who are forging a career in building quality framesets.  After spending an afternoon with Cooper during a recent visit to the States, we think this esteem should be mutual.

How did you acquire your skill in frame building?

I served as an apprentice at A.S. Gillott's for 25 years.  It was a salaried position, but quite low, however; you almost worked for the privilege of being there, because it was such a fantastic name in those days.  When the company was sold, the new owners didn't want to pursue the lightweight market as it had done in the past.  This meant that I wouldn't have been able to carry on in my specialty; namely building an entire frame for the customer.  I finally decided to leave and start my own business.  That was about ten years ago.  I got a small shop in South London, and started to fix it up but I've never completed the task.  As soon as I opened I had frame orders.

At what time in your career did you feel you had mastered your trade?

During my period at Gillott's—after about 15-20 years.  At this time we had many orders from top class professionals and world class amateurs.  When you were doing their work you felt that "I've finally arrived." It meant a great deal to me to see world champions, Olympic champions riding the bike that I had made.  From then on my confidence grew, to the point were I started my own business.

This was difficult because a good frame builder does not necessarily make a good businessman.

How long does it take you to build a frame?

From start to finish about 2 days—roughly 16-20 hours.  I don't, however, do my own painting; that is done by specialists, which saves time.  The fellow I go to does nothing but paint bicycle frames, and he's been in the business for 40 years.

Have there been many changes; innovations in frame design since you started in 1946?

The biggest difference is you have better materials to work with now.  The actual framebuilding has hardly changed.  If you do custom building, you do one frame at a time with a specific customer in mind.  This is what makes the business interesting; you take the order, you work on the frame, you take it to the paint shop, you put the interiors on it, and finally you put in on the counter.  You get all the comments, and hopefully they'll be favorable.  I cant' wait to see the frame made up...finished as a complete bike.

Do you have someone handling customer relations, supply ordering, etc.?

No; I do that myself.  I also have a retail shop, which is open 3 days a week.  During that time I do the things you mentioned.  On the other days I just work on the frames and the shop is closed, which enables me to work without interruption.

Several years ago there were approximately 70 American frame builders.  Now there are about 2 dozen who are actively trying to make a living at this trade.  Even the very best in this country, whose reputations are secure, are finding it increasingly difficult to make a good living.  There is a temptation, that once they get their name established and acquire a backlog of orders, to hire more people in order to increase production.  Do you think this is an avenue to make the frame business more financially viable?

Not necessarily.  I think this is where a lot of people make mistakes.  One frame builder knows what he can do, and he makes his product accordingly; but nothing is going to assure you that the next frame builder is going to build the same bike as the original one.  Even though you increase production, your overhead increases tremendously, which cuts down your profits.  Also, it doesn't follow that if one guy builds 10 frames a month, 2 guys can build 20, and 3 guys can build 30.

So, by hiring additional frame builders, you think you're putting yourself in a "spinning-your-wheels" situation?

Exactly.  Especially in the U.K. where the overhead on labor is so high.  Aside from salary and benefits, we have a 15% VAT rate tax on labor. 

I really don't want other builders making my bicycles with my name on it.  Even if I felt I could make more money, I'd rather work completely on my frames...to do the entire operation. Even the small things—like brazing on cable guides—if not done properly, can ruin the entire frame.  Same thing with a paint job.  You could have a lad tapping about bottom brackets or headsets, and the who operation can be spoiled by one mistake.

Larry Mercereau [Cooper's American distributor]: As an importer, Ron gives me so much confidence with that kind of attitude.  Frame failure not only involves the expense of replacing it, but supposing the guy was going down a long descent and the frame buckles.  In terms of product liability we can't afford these kinds of things.  We've had experiences with another frame builder where we experienced fork failure, which resulted due to an inexperienced kid burning tubes, which doesn't show up.  In this case, you put a coat of paint on it, and the frame appears o.k.  I could lose everything.  So, from an importer's point of view, I have total confidence in Ron.  In the ten years we've been doing business, I haven't had to send back one frame.

Let me qualify that.  There was a frame of Richard----.  We sent it back, but several years later, he came back and confessed that he had hit a car.  He said he wanted to get it off his chest, that it had been bothering him for seven years.  That's our only "failure."

Besides the high quality of their work, American bikies like to do business with American frame builders because they speak the same language, they're accessible, and if there's a problem you can have it rectified.  Whereas, with European frame builders you have a language problem [if you buy direct], and if something is wrong, it involves a lot of time and money getting it rectified.

Mercereau: The relationship Ron and I have, if there was a problem with a frame, the customer could deal with me and we would address ourselves to it.  Fortunately, we haven't had any problems with Ron's frames.  Also, we do speak English.

Over the years, Ron and I have developed a friendship as well as a good business relationship.  If there is a problem, and I go to him, he believes me.  There's no communication problem.  He's not dealing with a stranger, or an anonymous American importer who's out to protect himself.

Ron, how much of the American trade constitutes your total volume?

It's a healthy part; I guess up to 40-50%.

It appears that the English frame builders have not penetrated the American market.  Why is that?

Distribution problems, I suppose.  I guess they never met up with Larry (Mercereau)!

Mercereau: Another problem with English frames is that a number of them (e.g., Knight, Lloyd, and Witcomb) pick up stock frames from a factory—say, a Holdsworthy—and slap their decals on the frame.  Some of these guys have never built a frame in their entire life.  Witcomb, for example, is a grocery clerk.

[Note: According to Nicolas Chinardet, of Witcomb Cycles, "Barry Witcomb has been handmaking frames since 1958 on our premises. Other builders worked for the company before him. This is also where such renowned frame builders as Richard Sachs, Peter Weigle and Ben Serotta received training in their early years (as their websites clearly state)." ... and it's true, their websites do very clearly state that.]

I understand you don't use jigs.

Hardly any.  You have to use angle boards and drawing boards, of course, to make the frame according to specifications.  I have an adjustable jig for that purpose.  But after that, most of the frame is built free hand.  In this way there are no stresses that are built into the frame.

Why would a jig put stresses into a frame?

If you put a frame into a jig and clamp it down and you heat it up, it doesn't matter how careful you are, when you take it out you're going to have a slight cooling down movement.  I think it is easier to build a frame without stresses by not using any clamping down methods.

If you don't use a jig, it would seem that the alignment would be off.

You can hold a frame in line as you are doing it.  If your miters fit well, you can hold a frame perfectly in line and end up with a minimum of cold setting.

At first sight, it would seem that if you're eyeballing your alignment, the chances of inconsistent alignment would be increased.

Inevitably, a good frame builder has a terrific ability to align with his eye.  Whether it's innate or an acquired talent, you're using your eye all the time, and you simply get very good at it.  I can build a full cup out of the forge, put it in line, cool it down, put it into my lining, and it's right on every time.

Is this true of most English and Continental frame builders?

Originally they all started that way.  But, when they went to volume, they had to tool up.  Now, so many of these bikes are massed-produced, they all use jigs.

If you had to characterize a Ron Cooper frame, what would you say? What differentiates your frame from another quality frame?

There is a definite style.  You can have two artists painting the same scene, and they'd both be different.  Same with good quality frames.  This "style" not only goes into the manufacturing of the frame but the actual appearance.

Mercereau: The best way to see a Cooper frame is without any paint on it.  It's amazing.  For one thing, there's no file marks on the frame.  There is no place you can run your fingernail between the lug and the tube.  You look at the brass, and it's still golden instead of bronze.  For example, Tony Tom of A Bicycle Odyssey had a Cooper that was involved with an automobile accident.  They took the frame and made a cross section in the bottom bracket.  The brass had formed perfectly between the lug and the tube; there was complete brass penetration.  There is no filling, no bonded cover up...no heavy undercoating where the mistakes are concealed.  The mitering was perfect.  It's all there.  If I see a frame with the paint off it, I can tell instantly whether it's a Ron Cooper.

Cooper: I have sold some frames, which the riders don't bother to put the transfers on them.  I said you should have transfer on the frame; it makes for a finished article.  They said, "Well, anyone can see that it's a Cooper."