Complete Refurbishment of a Road Bike – A Design Preview

INTRO

For my final project, I’ve decided to undergo another bike-related design, but this time, a little more complicated than a repurposed stool, I will make a competition road bike from near scratch. By “near scratch”, I mean I will be starting from only a couple functional pieces. I was very kindly given a second hand bike frame from a friend, shown below, which in and of itself, is are very solid piece of equipment.

There is a very common rule of thumb in the cycling community, always buy solid second hand, rather than cheap, first hand. There is always a trickle down system with technology and quality that will be impossible to find in the cheaply produced bikes, and this bike is no exception. With such limited pieces and little guidance of this customizable frame, I’m given a lot of creative freedom for this bike, and will use it to heavily tailor to one of my favorite aesthetics recently.

AESTHETIC

An aesthetic which has recently devoured my google search history is modern cycling. From famous riders of the Tour to lesser known hobby cyclists, Their bikes and how they tailor their style towards them, this hobby has peaked my every interest. I have very little background cycling, my parents both have competed in bike races along with full scale Ironmans. I’ve only taken on local triathlons, and by far biking is my weakest length. Recently though, I’ve been more interested in this hobby. More specifically the designs and aesthetic behind modern day race cycling.

Instagram, @ekudduke 

These competition bikes feature narrow builds that are impossibly thin. Their lofted, lightweight designs hold an elegance and quality that can’t really be found anywhere else. Inspired by brands like Canyon, Cervelo, and Factor, these monoliths of engineering don’t need professional riders to be embody their messages, they are already their own artists, spewing out their works in hushed tones.

This aesthetic doesn’t only encapsulate the bike it also touches on fashion, what the rider wears greatly depends on their aerodynamics. You will usually find riders with skin tight wardrobe pieces. And most of the time, a colorful jersey, the upper part of the outfit, and more often than not the palette and look of the outfit is greatly tied to the bike. No cyclist’s kit will ever go against their bike, if they do, they could be spotted out by the more seasoned veteran. 

COMPONENTS AND FABRICATION

The frame is made from 6061 butted aluminum, which seems to be the only original piece of the bike. The head tube and the fork have been replaced with the same made of carbon fiber, iconicly stronger and lighter. However there are some components that need to be replaced or are completely missing. The back wheel is completely bent and the front wheel is obviously missing. There is no front derailed because upon further inspection there is no front chain ring, there is only one large sprocket. Because of this, if you were to put on new wheels, the bike would act more like a single speed, than a road bike. The handle bars are missing tape, along with every cable needed for the bike to run properly.

Another option to describe the aesthetic, is the color palette of the overall bike. An easy way of doing this is through the color of the components that still need to be replaced. However, the larger descriptor of the color is the frame and it matches the year it was made, 2009, the logo and the model pic and license all do not describe that modern cycling aesthetic. I was thinking about possibly spray painting over it making it my own brands and logos on the frame, an idea from the pod in class, all up in the air right now.