Category Archives: carbon fibre

An all carbon bike?

Posted on February 7, 2014 by Mik Efford

A while back my awesome LBS gave me a box of carbon tubes and lugs and said “You’re the right person to give these too!”. And with that I had 4 frames to build, one of which I’ve completed.  Take … Continue reading →

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3D Printed Bamboo Bike?

Posted on July 6, 2012 by Mik Efford

So I’ve been bunkering down in the Melbourne winter in front of 3D CAD programs designing various parts for the next bamboo bike. My aim is to reduce the amount of manual labour in the manufacture of the bikes and … Continue reading →

Posted in accessories, bamboo, carbon fibre, frame design, parts, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

It’s not always plain sailing

Posted on July 3, 2011 by Mik Efford

The Samurai, my fourth frame was going well until I discovered that the seat-tube had developed some cracks around both the bottom bracket and where the seat-post sleeve inserts into it. Luckily I hadn’t yet carbon fibered up either of … Continue reading →

Posted in bamboo, carbon fibre, Frame building | 1 Comment

Panda progress

Posted on April 29, 2011 by Mik Efford

Bamboo Bike #3, dubbed The Panda by its eventual owner is nearing completion. I’ve laid up 95% of the carbon fibre and just need to do some final cosmetic layers and then lots of finishing. Then comes the tricky things like brake … Continue reading →

Posted in carbon fibre, Frame building, wrapping | 3 Comments

Top Coats

Posted on December 23, 2010 by Mik Efford

The frame’s all done except for the top coats of epoxy resin. I’ve applied the first and it’s hanging up to dry. This will be sanded back and then 3 more coats applied. Check out the pics: I’ve tried my … Continue reading →

Posted in carbon fibre, finishing | 2 Comments

Foam & carbon

Posted on December 7, 2010 by Mik Efford

I’m using expanding filler foam on this frame as lightweight way to make the joints more curvaceous (and thus stronger). It’s super easy to sand back and shape and doesn’t take long to set. I’ve done the initial wrappings of … Continue reading →

Posted in carbon fibre, Frame building, wrapping | 4 Comments

Bamboo Bike Frame Strength Test

Posted on October 18, 2010 by Mik Efford

Above is a video of my homemade frame testing apparatus. It’s far from scientific, but good enough to satisfy my curiosity as to whether or not the frame passes the AS/NZS 1927:1998 Frame & Fork Assembly test. The method described … Continue reading →

Posted in bamboo, carbon fibre, Frame building, testing | 3 Comments

Wrapping & Heating

Posted on August 26, 2010 by Mik Efford

I’m continuing to wrap the bottom bracket joint today. I’ve now done a total of 9 layers, which I’m pretty sure will be enough for a sturdy and stiff BB. After wrapping up each series of layers in cling wrap … Continue reading →

Posted in carbon fibre, wrapping | 2 Comments

Wrapping the bottom bracket

Posted on August 24, 2010 by Mik Efford

The headtube’s pretty much done so I’m now starting work on laying up the bottom bracket area. It’s a much more complex shape to work with, which made the template cutting all the more fun. I’ve figured out a better … Continue reading →

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Carbon fibre wet layup – stage 2

Posted on August 20, 2010 by Mik Efford

Unwrapping the first layer this morning and it’s all gone well. The cling wrap’s left lots of wrinkles in the resin, which isn’t ideal, but for these base layers it’s ok as it’ll all get sanded back. Hopefully by the … Continue reading →

Posted in bamboo, carbon fibre, Frame building, wrapping | 2 Comments

Carbonfiberizing

Posted on August 19, 2010 by Mik Efford

So tonight I’ve started down the road to the final wrap.  I didn’t document last night’s fibreglass layer, but it’s very similar to this process, just with white fabric instead of black. The layer of fibreglass is used between any … Continue reading →

Posted in carbon fibre, Frame building | 1 Comment