The Bicycle Academy has been featured on these pages several times, from it being setup via crowd funding, to highlighting some of the bike frame and balance bike courses they provide. Our own Ed Haythornthwaite has even even been down to Frome to attend a brazing master class.

In this lovely short documentary, by Madegoodfilms, founder Andrew Denham talks about why he set up the academy in the first place and the unusual philosophy of giving away the first bike made by all the students. Its well worth a watch.

It’s not always that world champions are taught by world champions’, that’s Andrew’s mantra and with The Bicycle Academy, he’s certainly proving it to be true. The last decade or so has seen the art of bespoke frame building almost completely removed from the commercial market altogether, making way for cheaper, bland, but nevertheless very high quality, machine built frames. For many cyclists riding a bike is about the experience, and if the popularity of this course is anything to go by, that experience starts before the bike has even been built.

Although originally Andrew’s idea, the success of The Bicycle Academy is reliant on a special partnership. Brian Curtis founded Curtis bikes in 1972, but has bicycle design is in his blood and has been frame building since long before then. Andrew combines the technical skills of the ‘Grand Master’, along with his own unique, newcomers perspective, and a passion and flair for teaching. Follow this story of revolution in bespoke, hand built bicycles. MadeGoodFilms

This short film was produced by MadeGood.films. Sound mix by George Hider & Leaf Troup, music written by George Hider. MadeGood provide free advice on bicycle repair.