Homemade Parts!

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Homemade Parts!
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flag monkeyboyjc
Posted: Dec 23, 2018 at 13:19 Quote
It's really not that environmentally friendly - the bamboo wasn't grown here and had to be shipped over. And Ive a huge waste pile of stuff left over from the build process.
Imo The only way bikes become a environmentally friendly tool is if they replace cars on the road - this one is used for fun, so it's not replacing cars on the road so is only a bad thing for the environment.
flag MoleGrips
Posted: Dec 23, 2018 at 13:26 Quote
At least you tried.

I'll 'carbon offset' for you by using my 'Trigger's broom' Pinkbike second hand bits sourced steel bike and my wife's using her second hand postie bike.

I'll pretend not to drive a Vivaro...
flag monkeyboyjc
Posted: Dec 23, 2018 at 13:32 Quote
Ha, yeah - I can't stand big companies peddling recreation bikes as environmentally friendly. If theya really for recreation they can't be environmentally friendly be default. Any 2nd hand bike (or car for that matter) is instantly more environmentally friendly than a new one.
I built a frame from bamboo because I have a woodwork background and don't have the kit in my garage to weld or braze, simple as that.
flag MoleGrips
Posted: Dec 23, 2018 at 13:35 Quote
It was depressing yesterday seeing the whole lower floor of a local bike emporium devoted to E bikes. They're touted as environmentally friendly. Makes my pi$$ fizz
flag sherbet
Posted: Dec 23, 2018 at 13:37 Quote
Having someone stop driving and start using an E-bike is good for the environment, comparatively. Just stop.
flag MoleGrips
Posted: Dec 23, 2018 at 13:46 Quote
Maybe... but not when they're mostly sold and used to pootle round the local reservoir
flag sherbet
Posted: Dec 23, 2018 at 13:49 Quote
Basically all statistics point to people using them to commute, which is super important. This isn't the place for your soapbox, this is the homemade bike thread. Moving on.
flag MTBLegend92
Posted: Dec 23, 2018 at 18:14 Quote
sherbet wrote:
Basically all statistics point to people using them to commute, which is super important. This isn't the place for your soapbox, this is the homemade bike thread. Moving on.
Actually its the homemade parts thread, so its totally in the wrong spot.
flag MoleGrips
Posted: Dec 24, 2018 at 9:47 Quote
Apologies ...please consider my (homemade) soapbox stepped off from and retracted...back to homemade parts! :-)
flag rgtec-components
Posted: Dec 28, 2018 at 2:21 Quote
Among other things, I built this frankenfork a while ago with "spare parts" from another build...
Uppers and lowers from a Formula 35
Coil spring and hyudraulics from a Marzocchi 350R
Later, I replaced the crappy cartridge with another coming from a Magura Thor, which I had heavily modified (turned the "platform" mode into a proper adjustable low speed compression circuit, custom selfmade piston, shims)
0 Formocchi
0 Formocchi!

0 Formocchi
0 Formocchi!

photo

photo
flag rgtec-components
Posted: Dec 30, 2018 at 8:58 Quote
And this is the original Formocchi: Marzocchi chassis with Formula internals

https://www.pinkbike.com/u/romphaia/album/formocchi/

photo
flag therevfryslim
Posted: Jan 4, 2019 at 7:45 Quote
monkeyboyjc wrote:
Bikes complete now....
*snipped bamboo bike*

can we just go back to this for a sec, we seemed to get bogged down in is it/isn't environamentally friendly but I'd like to know more about the bike and the project... how/why/component choice/whats the fork?

Apologies if this has been covered earlier (if it has, grace us with a link?)
flag monkeyboyjc
Posted: Jan 5, 2019 at 1:15 Quote
therevfryslim wrote:
how/why/component choice/whats the fork?

I'll start with the why as that's most peoples first question....
Simply I don't have the equipment in my garage for brazing or welding, and don't particularly want to invest in an expensive jig. I've always wanted to build my own frames and bamboo is an easy way of doing having come from a furniture making background originally.
The frame originally came as part of a kit from bamboo bicycle club. https://www.bamboobicycleclub.org
This includes jig parts and all the bits needed for a frame build. There's a choice of standard kits or a full custom geo option. Mines a standard medium cx frame.
photo
But, having built a similar kit before (bamboobee https://bamboobee.net), I went a bit more custom and added a carbon fiber seat tube and carbon fiber lugged joints, rather than the kits bamboo and hemp cloth. The joints are hand laid/wound with 3layers of carbon kevlar weave and 12k carbon tow. Basically it's glue (two part epoxy that came in the kit) and carbon fiber string wound repeatedly around each joint. This is then compressed with electrical tape. Once cured it's then sanded back. Some of the joints are better finished that others. The headtube isn't great for example, but this is because I added in some 15mm lengths of carbon tow so it's come out looking a little less flash.
You can see a slide show of the build process here....

As for component choice, much of it came from my doaner gravel bike, but I managed to get hold of a 2nd hand Lauf grit suspension fork early In the build (Icelandic company, leaf spring, look them up if your unaware of what they do) https://www.laufcycling.com so that was my starting point. It meet new wheels from my lbs (hope / dt Swiss). Cranks are shimano deore rather than a road or gravel chainset. The q factor of mtb cranks gives better mud clearance and makes it easier to build in the clearances required for the stays - I'm running pretty wide tyres, 45c wtb riddlers, but could even go up to 2"29r mtb tyres. Dropper post is a 27.2 ks eten, dropper post helps on the tech sections that link my local fire roads, but I also use it on dh Road sections for aero tuck as my 40t chairing tends to start spinning out at 30mph.

It's only done around 40miles so far, and the aluminium seat tube sleave debonded after the first 10miles (didn't use enough of the glue and it all pushed up to the top inch), but that's been fixed and is all good now. I'm doing a 50mile charity gravel tomorrow which was my deadline to get it built and tested so it should be good.

It rides like a magic carpet. The bamboo frame absorbs more Road buzz than a steel frame, that coupled with 30mm of travel and 45c tyres equals one comfortable ride. Off road it's also great, it's slower that my mtb off road, but just as fun.
flag Evil-P
Posted: Jan 6, 2019 at 8:54 Quote
Is there some fender to protect the dropper post from getting hits from stuff that comes flying from the back wheel?

 


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