Archives
Bamboo Bike Links
Cycling Links
Melbourne Cycling Links
-
Popular Posts
- Heat treating bamboo
- Bamboo Bike #2 – The Daisy
- Why not to buy a titanium bike frame
- Choosing the bamboo for your frame
- bio-resins – alternatives to epoxy resin
- Bamboo Bike Frame Strength Test
- An all carbon bike?
- Foam & carbon
- Bamboo Bicycle Club Live Challenge – another great initiative!
- The progressing Panda
Monthly Archives: July 2010
Sanding back
Today I’m sanding back the tack epoxy to a smooth finish. I figured I probably shouldn’t have used as much epoxy for this stage as it’s not very strong, due to the micro-fibre filler that’s added to make it more … Continue reading
Posted in Frame building
Leave a comment
Tacky
So it’s taken approximately 3 months but I’ve finally tacked together my first frame! Here’s the process from start to finish: Surface preparation I roughen up the bamboo by using the edge of a Dremel sanding wheel. For the steel I sandpaper … Continue reading
Posted in Frame building
Leave a comment
Let’s set something straight.
Sharks with frickin’ lasers. That’s what I’m talking about. Ok, well minus the sharks. It’s more like jigs with frickin’ lasers. Close enough. Check out the hi-tech laser-level action below. The mitres are all done, so now it’s a matter … Continue reading
Posted in Frame building, jig building
Leave a comment
Mitre’s well show you
Here’s the results of today’s mitreing. Pretty happy with the results so far. Just have the top tube to go and then into the more finicky work of the rear triangle. The main thing I learned today is that getting both sides … Continue reading
Posted in bamboo, Frame building
Leave a comment
Choosing the bamboo for your frame
This might seem obvious, but choosing the exact bits of bamboo you’ll use for your bike frame is one of the most important things to do in the frame building process. You need to know a lot of stuff before … Continue reading
Posted in bamboo, Frame building
1 Comment
Mitre 10
Ever wonder where Mitre 10 got its name from? Neither have I. But mitres are what I’m working on this week. I’ve printed off my mitre templates from the ever awesome BikeCad and wrapped them around the poles I intend … Continue reading
Posted in bamboo, Frame building
2 Comments
What to do with cracked bamboo?
If you’ve read my previous post you’ll see I’ve cracked a few bits of bamboo. Not wanting to throw them away I’ve made use of them by splitting them into two and then cutting them down further to form two … Continue reading
Posted in Frame building
2 Comments
Heat treating bamboo
Over the course of the last few months I’ve heard a lot about the process for heat treating bamboo. People put it in ovens, attack it with butane torches, smoke it over fires or dry it out in kilns. Why … Continue reading
Posted in bamboo
4 Comments
Getting jiggy with it
I’ll stop the puns soon. I swear. Built some standoffs for the headtube and rear end. Check em out: The degree of accuracy of this jig is probably not within the tolerances of a well made bike, so I’ll have … Continue reading
Posted in jig building
2 Comments
Enter the jig…
Started work today on a flat wooden jig that will hold the frame in place while I tack the joints and generally put it together. I found an old cupboard door, which to my luck had 33mm holes drilled in … Continue reading
Posted in Frame building
Leave a comment
Parts, parts, parts!
Just like the out of work actor Tobias Fünke mistakenly finding a Tractor Pull magazine (thinking it said Actor Pull) and seeing thousands of parts inside, I too became excited when the delivery man arrived today with my bike parts: … Continue reading
Posted in parts
3 Comments
Bamboo Bicycle Stand
So the end product of my test composite joint making is a bamboo bike stand! Here she is: I’ve designed it to exactly fit a 700C road wheel, but it could easily be made with wider slots for wider wheels. … Continue reading
Resin, sisal and bamboo test joint
While I’m still waiting on parts and hemp fibre to arrive I decided to have another go at making a composite joint with fibreglass resin, sisal twine and a 3-way bamboo mitred bamboo joint. Here’s the workspace: Here’s the initial … Continue reading
The makings of a cyclocross frame
I’ve recently decided to build a cyclocross frame for the first prototype. I figure if anything’s going to test out the durability of a frame it’ll be a cyclocross race. That and it’s the only sort of bike I don’t … Continue reading