Final Project Report II: What it all means, The Gospel of Two Wheels

I initially began thinking of what to do for this project with a lot of ideas in mind. All of them were projects I had considered doing independently of this class but never had the resources or resolve to give them a complete try. I knew that I wanted a product that I could use as an end result and not be something I discard. I wanted this project to give me material value in a result I could use, in addition to the value I’d gain from the learning process of experimenting with my build.

My first intention was to build a fountain and I had played with the idea of casting something out of cement or carving from blocks of wood I had laying around. But I didn’t want to deal with harsh chemicals, didn’t know anything about carving nor did I have any resources, and most important didn’t think that I could achieve an aesthetic that I would be happy with at the end. My teammate had begun his project of making his own bike and as riding them is a huge passion of mine, I was likewise interested in making my own product that I could ride.

Like so many other aspects of my life, I always come back to the gospel of two wheels. I had the opportunity of applying some of my academic experience and other skills to this project. I had some CAD experience from other classes and had a good idea of the tolerances and geometry that I’d wanted. Likewise I had some experience with welding from Component Design and Senior Design that I could apply here. This project was the accumulation of my academic knowledge, my experience with bikes, and my aesthetic aspirations.

Going forward I intend to braze on housing stops and paint the frame. I still want to keep with the original intention going with really vibrant colors and will probably paint each tube a different color. The seat-stays will be the same color and I’ll just clear coat the driveside chain stay. To cover the lugs I want to keep the metallic touch and will either finish them with a chrome or copper finisher which will be a good divider between the different colored tubes. With everything on the frame complete I fully intend to build the bike up and get an idea for the ride characteristics and general function. I think if nothing else it’ll be a great townie.

 

Here’s a link to the final presentation: https://youtu.be/6cQRw3bcYgA

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1 Comment. Leave new

  • Daniel Moody
    May 5, 2016 12:31 am

    I think really bright colors would look awesome. Maybe you could use stencils to create your own logos or leave the metal exposed in areas. It could be cost prohibitive but you should look into powder coating as well. I have a friend who just built his own setup for this and could put you in touch.

    Nice job it looks great! If you have the time a further explanation on your geometry would be interesting!

    Reply

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