Using Computer Aided Manufacturing To Make Titanium Frames
2009-08-16 21:12:00 Ever since the start of this month, Lynskey Performance Bicycles based in Chattanooga, TN has been quietly uploading videos of their manufacturing processes to the internet. As you know, Lynskey is the founder of the brand "Litespeed" which goes back a long ways. If I'm not wrong, it is now owned by another TN based company, American Bicycle Group (ABG) which makes the featherweight Ghisallo frame (weighs about 1.7 pounds). Did you know that apparently, even NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab buys tubing from ABG? I didn't want to shift topics, but something like that really speaks for the quality of titanium tubing these companies deal with.Now in the past, I have showcased some history of the machining technology David Lynskey used in his Litespeed facility on this blog, so click here to read that article if you haven't. Today, Lynskey works with U.S. milled aerospace grade 6AL-4V and 3AL-2.5V titanium and each bike is handcrafted to customer's needs using some special technology.Aft...
Micro Machining The World's Smallest Bicycle
2009-07-16 06:00:00 While I was away for a week, I saw that a bunch of you replied in comments to the "Who, What, Where" contest. Thank you so much for your thoughts. It gives me better insight into what some of my readers actually do in life. Now I will keep the contest and the comments section open for one more day. If you're a reader and you haven't checked it out, please do now. Comments close 12pm on Friday, July 17.Let's get that persistently annoying housefly at your place a new hobby. Let him ride a bike! The smallest bicycle in the world has no practical application for humans. Researchers at Swiss-based GF AgieCharmilles played around with the capabilities of small wire electrical discharge machining (EDM) to produce a micro sized mountain bike. Check this out : The tiny cycle was machined out of 1-mm-thick Inox stainless steel (steel alloy with a minimum of 11% chromium by mass) using a 0.020-mm wire. The smallest internal radius measures a mere 0.013 mm it seems, with a tolerance of +/- ...
How Its Made : Bicycles
2009-07-04 06:01:00 1. Mass Produced Metal Alloy Bikes : Episode 3 from Season 1 of Science Channel's How Its Made series explores the making of bicycles. The narrator was the show's first ever anchor, Mark Tewksbury. Now some of you might be bothered that this is not the "enthusiast" level bicycle and may even ridicule it for its lack of craftsmanship. The manufacturing steps are really interesting to look at regardless. Some of you may also be bothered by Mark's accent. It may help to know that he's a Canadian with an interesting athletic background and How Its Made is a Canadian documentary. For nerds like me, watching this show is better than having ice cream. Let's hope they run it on Discovery forever.The part on bicycles starts from 0:43 seconds. Video courtesy --> bamboopasia.2. Colnago & Milano Carbon Bikes : Part of Bike Radar's 'Industry Insider' series, they have a video revealing the full production process of a Colnago EPS frame. It shows how the filament wound carbon fiber tu...
How Its Made : Tokyo Underground Bike Parking
2009-06-24 10:37:00 Readers will remember that I blogged last year about the brilliant underground bike parking system made by the Japanese at Nishi-Kasai Station in Edogawa, Tokyo. I just happened to discover a cool video from Japanese news broadcaster Newsline which details how one of these these automated parking systems, called Eco Cycle, was designed & constructed and the machines which were employed in the process. This really looks to have been a neat little civil engineering project for the developers - Giken Seisakusho Group. A picture of Giken's 'Silent Piling Machine' which takes prefabricated structural piles and presses them into the ground at high pressure without vibration and excessive noise. Courtesy Giken.ADDITIONAL READING :How Servomotors WorkDeep Foundation Construction
How Bicycle Helmets Are Made
2008-05-19 21:39:00 In a previous post, we looked at how bicycle helmets protect the head. Now lets look at how they're produced. Surely any helmet design will look good on paper but effectively manufacturing it under cost and time constraints is entirely another thing. But I must admit I have something against the way that shell and foam are attached, as in taped (watch the video)! Of course, there are other ways to piece them together. Bell uses what they term 'co-molding'. That drop test also seems insufficient, keeping in mind the many scenarios in which a cyclist can crash. Video courtesy of user RameshKumar123.Now one wonders how popular cycling helmets out there are so expensive. Does R&D and testing take up the costs or are there more factors involved? And what is so state-of-the-art about the latest research on bicycling helmets? Isn't the same knowledge used pretty much year after year or is it otherwise? Marketing trendiness of "pro-helmets" with a thousand vents must also be near th...
1950's Production of Columbia Bicycles
2008-05-17 23:06:00 A 1939 Columbia Westfield Compax TravelerGet ready to ride back in time to the America of the 50's. Here's a nice, historical 6 minute video hosted by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) which documented how the Columbia line of bicycles ("bringing health and pleasure to millions of Americans") were produced. West Field Manufacturing, at West Field Massachusetts, was the first company to produce an American bicycle (Columbia highwheel) The video shows how ribbons of steel were seamlessly welded into tubes of various diameters and then cut and shaped to assemble frames, how handlebars were chrome plated, how spokes were connected to the rims and trued as well as glimpses of other cutting operations to yield chain rings and cogs, all over pleasant, soaring music and a serious, hurried narrator.To see the video, go to the NAM host page here and hit "Click to View". If you're interested in knowing more about vintage Columbia bicycles, click this page.Check out this old Co...
Brooks Supports The Bicycle Film Festival
2008-05-15 23:49:00 "The Green Swallow is a Limited Edition of the Swallow Classic, normally sold only in the traditional Brooks colours (black, brown and honey). The 100 pieces are sold in cooperation with the Bicycle Film Festival in NY (May 28-June 1). For each sold saddle BROOKS will devolve 100 $ to support the Bicycle Film Festival.The Swallow reproduces the timeless design of the daddy of all modern racing saddles, first in production in 1937. This limited edition features the original chrome plated steel metalwork. The tensioning plate on the underside still bares the original patenting information retaining the word DEPOSÉ, as the patent for this model was first registered in Paris. Back then many of Brooks saddles in fact were exported to the continent for the use of racers in the tours."Read more here. If you're interested in seeing how Brooks saddles are made, check out a nice Flash based factory tour on their homepage menu. This will give you an idea of the manufacturing processes involved.
The Weldtite Factory
2008-05-10 01:44:00 Check out how Weldtite's bicycle lubricants are manufactured. Weldtite is a popular tools,lubricant and repair accessories company in the UK.
How a Bicycle Cassette is Made
2008-04-28 01:28:00 The new SRAM "Powerdome" OG-1090 - from birth to finished productCourtesy : HuangHere's an excellent picture showing the life of a rear cassette (cluster) as it is starts out from a 10lb block of steel to something cyclists can recognize. The process is handled by a CNC machine for quick, precise and cost efficient machining.Producing this is a two-step process.1) A block of chromoly (chromium-molybdenum) steel is milled into a dome, with the cog teeth. Then its CNC-machined into the dome (3rd picture from left). SRAM states that one cassette requires a full hour of milling and machining before it's done.2) The steel gets a nickel finish to give it immense hardness (last picture). SRAM's testing indicates that it's 35% harder than titanium. They wear out at a slower rate, so you end up replacing your cassette less often. This steel 8-cog block then gets paired with two additional "floating" cogs to make 10 cogs total. [Competitive Cyclist]One of the most important performance as...
DaVinci Independant Drive System for Tandems
2008-04-08 02:35:00 Increasing the pedaling comfort and efficiency of the tandem drive train has been the main focus of performance tandem designers, davinci Designs.So what comprises the independent coasting mechanism or 'ICS'?"The main component of da Vinci Designs? ICS is an intermediate drive shaft six inches in front of the rear bottom bracket. The intermediate shaft has two single-speed freewheels on the left side that are independently driven by the cranks at twice the rotating speed and half the torque. On the right side of the shaft, four Hyperglide? cogs drive the bike. The chain rings are half the size as those on a conventional tandem because of the double rotation of the intermediate shaft. The combination of 12-, 18-, 24-, 30-tooth driving gears equals 24-, 36-, 48-, 60-tooth chain rings."Read more here.
How a Clipless Pedal Works
2008-03-03 22:13:00 Hey! Want to say screw off to your enemy at the races?Yes, just do it. Screw off.No no no hold it! Hold it ... I didn't mean THAT!!I meant : Take a screw off his pedal cleat when he isn't looking. Literally.Well, I'll come back to this in a sec. First lets see how a clipless bicycle pedal works. All the nerdy wordy descriptions aside, I'll let you look more at pictures.This is the Shimano PD-520 Pedal, a set of 3 year old beaters I have on my fixed gear. This version is made in Malaysia.1 and 2 are the clipping sites for the cleat, something you attach to the back of your shoe. 3 is the body, 4 the spindle, and 5 is the threading that fastens into a crank arm clearance.Member 2 is able to move back and forth (black arrows below), whose resistance to do so is set by tensioning a torsional spring 6.As one rotates an adjustment screw clockwise (purple arrow), the black spring 6 moves outward shown by the red arrows, clamping member 2 at its outer arms more tightly. The resu...
Bamboo for Bicycles PART 3
2008-02-12 01:11:00 Bamboo Fixed Gear, anyone?Here's the third installment of this series. I am so fascinated by this material that I didn't have a word limit for the other two posts. I'm sorry to those who're saturated with bamboo but I didnt want to leave any strings loose in the air, so to speak.If you read Part 2, you may have noticed the unanswered questions on Nick Frey's Bamboo bike that I said might sooner or later be revealed.In this post, Nick replies to them so we can get an idea of what his ideas are and where he's going to go with them. For me, it was a good learning process and I was quite appreciative of the fact that he spent some time out of his training and school to detail the building process with me.A quick recap : Nick Frey is a mechanical engineering junior at Princeton University. He's also Espoir National Time Trial champion. He and friends teamed up to build a practical wooden road racing bike for a design project at school. They went from one to two and now three bicyc...
The Bio Composite Race Bicycle - Part 2-
2008-01-18 19:39:00 So hows the bike made?This is what Bicyclingreviews have to say about the frame design :The tubes on the MF-1 either 40% to 50% Flax or 100% 3K Carbon HM and are connected with the use of lugs this isn't the smoothest way, but it gives a very strong bond between the tubes and give great stiffness to the frame. The top tube slopes slightly from head to seat, not too much, but enough to help handling and stiffness. The head tube is bulky which keeps the frame stiff and cuts down on torsion stress, the seat stays are of a wishbone design and the seat tube has an aero profile. The MF-1 is strong and light, everything you need from a bike frame, it's not cheap, but a frame of this quality is never going to be a give away.Luxurious Lugged DesignAnother review from Cycling weekly is here, and it talks about the bike, components, wheels and ride quality.So what it is tubes combination of carbon with fiber, produced by a patended high temperature and pressure process, and these tubes...
The Bio Composite Race Bicycle - Part 1
2008-01-18 17:44:00 So guess who else has jumped on the bandwagon of producing top notch racing bicycles? If someone whispered Museeuw, you're right on the dot. The "Lion of Flanders" and two time world champion decided to put his experience to business and kicked up an idea to start his own bicycle company. I'm not exactly sure when it was started but we saw the first fruits of his production early last year through his website.The more interesting fact has been that Museeuw has started a small revolution in bicycle frame materials. In this day and age where the industry is continuing to push all barriers like a rebellious bulldozer on a rampage, and where innovate or die is the chant, Museeuw is no exception to the idea.Enlisting the help of Belgian firm IPA (which also makes carbon tubes for Colnago) and historically renowned Italian frame maker Billato, Musseaw's top of the line bicycle, the MF-1 is an interesting design.The frame uses a medley of carbon fiber and flax fiber, the strands of whic...
How Its Made : Giordana Clothing
2008-01-17 02:14:00 Its so simple to go out and buy one of these premier cycling apparel, isn't it? To see how its made will make you gape in wonder.Watch this video to appreciate every step in how modern cycling apparel is made. The video features the Giordana production processes in the state-of-the-art manufacturing facility just outside Montova, Italy. See how the pattern design is made, how they're printed and eventually stitched to produce something of value to the cyclist.By the way, is it just me or do I not notice a single man in the video? I guess thats another appeal for Italian clothing - You're getting true Euro race wear and some gorgeous woman might have had the ideas on it. :)P.S : No sound to the video.
Cervelo's Compete on Quality Strategy
2008-01-16 01:22:00 The above is an interesting picture. Look at it for a brief moment. What grips you most? Is it the fact that the its a sweet Tour ridden SLC-SL that you just dreamt of possessing.Or is it the "Made in China" label?I think most of us love to see a bike we ride made in the country it originates from, be it Italy, or Germany or the United States. Why? Not too sure, but maybe ask yourself. There does seem to be some preconceived ideas in our heads about Chinese quality. Granted that there have been a host of products originating in China that just, lets say, simply scared all of us. 2007's records are here.But when you see Cervelo, one of the best bicycle companies in the world (whose exact products we use have been ridden by CSC in the Tour and other races) and you look at the "Made in China" label, is it not easy for us to make a compromise there? So where's our notions about cheap chinese goods gone?Lets be clear. China hasn't been exaclty doing good with product safety and compli...
The Ticket to the Races : Biological Passports, How Good?
2008-01-13 02:39:00 Before I start, I'd like to mention that the results of some wheel tests done on a bunch of new hoops are over at Roues Artisanales for 2008. As always, I'm excited to see new tests done on racing products. This test in particular addresses aerodynamics, inertia, lateral stiffness and bearing resistance of wheels in a 5 part series (of which only part 1 is available today as I type this). Interestingly, some of the latest models of Mavic seem to be on the higher end of aerodynamic inefficiencies.While NASA is testing the LRO for the upcoming moon mission and President Bush remarks there should be world peace at whatever the oil price, UCI is on a race to implement biological passports for riders. We are told that its introduction has been successful beginning this year.In my understanding, they brought this idea up last year after doping controversies were just flooding the reputation of international cycling and all that called for a solution to tackle the problem lest the whole...
Whats In Your Athletic Wear?
2008-01-09 22:58:00 I was away in Olean, NY for an intensive 2 day interview with Dresser-Rand (I got the job!). I'm back in Buffalo, and I have rocketed into my base building for the season. (Is it just me or do I think one legged intervals are awesome, especially for building some ripped obliques?!)In a perfect world (at least for me), the microfiber jerseys, shorts,running pants, under armor and base layers we wear would be odor resistant.The stink that they carry after a session of training or racing comes really from sweat and bacteria, that love to thrive in moisture (think socks). While its nice that this problem can be simply avoided by soaking in detergent water, it'll be better still that odor can be taken care off on the spot, while we train and ride.In this new era, we have moisture wicking jerseys and shorts. You pay a premium for them, but I really question how good they are. How about our base layers? Its really those pieces that are sticking to our bodies that need a small revolution...
How its Made : C02 Cartridges
2008-01-02 23:06:00 Hi readers. I hope you had some great time with family and friends. While the New Year fever quietly wears away, get a cup of tea (highly endorsed by this blog!) and watch some sweet manufacturing in action!CO2 cartridges are lightweight, and convenient to carry. The best convenience is in the fact that they pack a powerful punch so you don't loose any time to the devil at the pit stop. How are those nice zinc plated bodies of steel made anyway?The deep drawing process is most interesting to see. The same technology is used to make soda cans. Here's also a patent to the "Bottle-Shaped Can Manufacturing Process". Thanks to TimStrab for the video.
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2007-01-14 05:23:01 Airplanes How Its Made Airplanes How Its Made |
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