The bicycle is the most civilized conveyance known to man. Other forms of transport grow daily more nightmarish. Only the bicycle remains pure in heart. ~Iris Murdoch, The Red and the Green
about in the summer of two thousand nine, i built a bicycle. i designed it... i built it... i assembled it... i rode my bicycle. and i loved it.
index project introduction fabrication components powdercoating
1 5 17 20
project brief The simplest solution is usually the best one. the fixed gear bike is no exception. it is lighter than a road bike, a better training bike, and costs less to build and maintain.
$8600
$300 annual maintenance cost
cars vs. bicycles kiss: keep it simple stupid
*U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics; Moritz, 1997
riding a fixed gear on the road is excellent exercise.
When you need to climb, you don’t need to think about when to change gears, because you don’t have that option. Instead, you know that you must just stand up and pedal, even though the gear is too high for maximum climbing efficiency. This makes you stronger. -sheldon brown
1. 2.
50% reduction in the risk of developing coronary heart diseases 50% reduction in the risk of developing adult diabetes
3.
30% reduction in the risk of developing hypertension
02
MEASURE TWICE... 5
arms.........58cm torso........65cm
65CM
8
C M
rider dimensions
inseam.....78cm height.....173cm weight.......68kg
78CM
CUT ONCE.
torso measurement + arm measurement
2.3 inseam measurement
X
= 54cm
geometry
.67 = 53cm
54CM
73
seat tube
72
the frame was designed to be short and steep for responsive steering, as well as a stiffer ride. the short and stiff rear triangle transfers power the ground more efďŹ ciently...for sprinting power.
53
CM
head tube
04
After measurments are taken of the rider, The frame style is decided. In this case it will be a track frame with a fixed chain drive. A CAD program is used to translate the measurements into a geometry, and then the dimensions of the tubing are taken into account for, In the end, a 1:1 scale drawing is printed and used for reference during the
build
.
in the beginning cad drawing 1:1 ashlar vellum graphite
research frame style geometry
big buttes the tubing for the frame is double butted. the ends are thicker than the center of the tubing. this ensures that the tubing is strongest at the points that receive the most stress...the joints.
4130 chromoly steel tubing
cast steel lugs 06
Each piece of tubing is double butted, which makes trimming each tube a bit more complicated. Length is taken off from each end to preserve the variable wall thickness.
parts list
down tube
seat tube & bottom bracket
cast steel lugs head tube top tube
08
double check Each frame tube was cut to length and mitered to fit nicely with and against the other tubes. The seat tube is the the first tube be brazed onto the bottom bracket and seat post lug.
vent holes are drilled and then all tubing is prepped in a solvent bath to be prepared for brazing.
cold fitting look@the big picture the full scale drawing is used as a guide throughout the build to make sure everything is done accurately, and within the acceptable range of tolerance alloted.
ioncebrazed a frame the frame had cooled enough to be held, we took it out of the jig and
soaked it in soapy warm water. this loosened up the ux that had hardened onto the frame. a little bit of time, a wire brush,and some elbow grease were all it took to get it to this point.
10
oxy acetylene “pull the silver�
once the lug is hot, silver is feed into the lug at the edge it meets the tubing. it is then dragged with the heat to spread it about the entire jjoint
jigged up
a magetic compass is used to find the correct head tube and seat tube angles before securing the jig down. flux is added and then the joints are brazed one at a time.
ioncebrazed a frame the frame had cooled enough
to be held, we took it out of the jig and soaked it in soapy warm water. this loosened up the ux that had hardened onto the frame. a little bit of time, a wire brush,and some elbow grease were all it took to get it to this point.
12
mock up After the frame was done being brazed, it was test fit with a set of 700c wheels and tires...tolerances were all where they needed to be.
it is now time to start sanding, filing, and cleaning the frame to prep it for powdercoating.
“can i borrow your wheels”? luckily for me, a friend was willing to remove his wheels so that i could see the frame start to come alive. thanks again Tyler.
ithisbrazed a frame is a picture of the frame shortly after finishing with the brazing. at this point i had started cleaning up the frame, but mostly the joints. The lugs were filed to keep a nice edge between them and the tubing.
14
over one hundred hours were spent on the frame before sending it out for powdercoating. emory cloth, fine tooth jewelry files, and scotch bright pads were used to keep a square edge between the lugs and the tubing.
100
hours of preperation
my kitchen floor the scotch brite pad
was a good friend of mine in the final stages of preparing the frame for powdercoating. becuase of the oxidation, this was done at the beginning and end of every session.
16
components
steering easton low rise handlebars oury mtb grips velo orange polished stem
pedals MKS sylvan track soma straps soma cages
drivetrain sugino rd 170mm crank soma 16T cog 47/16 gearing 1/8� gold KMC chain
seating soma kamisori brown leather origin8 seatpost
wheels weinmann DP18 origin8 hubs 3x lacing soma everwear 700 x23C tires
18
“did you make that?� I got a lot of compliments on the street with this bike. Old and young people were drawn to this bike. The photo below was taken by a photogrpaher on the streets in san franc is co. Thanks again Scott.
20
crime scene This is the last place that my bicycle was seen alive. while in the building next door, in front of a window... my bicycle was stolen when i was turned. The lock was cut and it was taken from me in broad daylight. I have not yet given up hope, ...the search continues
josephdubois josephdubois industrial industrialdesign design josephdubois53@gmail8452347083 1188missionstreet1621sanfranciscoca94103