More info is being added, just bare with me
So…
I’m a second-year uni student, this project originally started as a bamboo front triangle for a 2 stage rear end to make a longer slacker 2 stage rig (look up 2 stage mtb if you don’t know what I’m on about).
Currently it is a high, single-pivot, gearbox made from a flax-based bio composite (its a mouthful I know).
here are some pics, more info will be coming soon.
Feel free to ask questions
Chur Chur
-kale
Turns out I can only add one photo 
Reminds me of one of the homemade Zerode prototypes from around 10 years ago. Should be a fun project!
Funny you say that, Rob has helped me quite a bit with bits and pieces, I want to ride that bike but it is somewhere in the US
I forgot about that zerode. It looks right in line with the latest trail bikes. That thing was really ahead of it’s time.
@Kale_shenanigans
I have quite a bit of experience with natural fibers and different manufacturing methods. Let me know if you run into questions in regards to that.
Here are some quick specs, I’ll post a bit more when I can do multiple pics at once, basically just going to split the frame into pieces and bond them all together, I’ll 3D print the inner “hollow” portion of the downtube and top tube, wrapping them in material, for the gearbox mount I’ll make plates and integrate them in, the rest will most likely be forged.
Yeah would love to know as much as you’ll tell me. I’ll be using Kiwi Fiber (Local NZ start-up) I know ‘wetting times’ tend to be longer but not much else. Super keen to pick your brain.
Some more pics from a few weeks ago…
I’m currently working on the gearbox mount ‘lug’ and the feasibility of or using forged methods or not
Chur Chur
Just picked up some test material… Time to do some testing (compression moulded break leavers and maybe a few other things)
More pics on the way
Chur as
Made some avid leavers and a quick test of composite abilities… Or lack there of. The blades came out good… The rest not so much
Looks very cool!
I’m curious what you mean by forged. Are you pressing fibers into a mold?
Plans have changed a bit, I’ll be honest I kinda resent the term forging in terms of composites now lol. Pretty much refers to compression moulding of ‘loose’, unoriented… Similarish to chipboard from a blind man on a galloping horse. Forging in composites has very little to no correlation to forging in context to metal working… The break leavers above are made through compression moulding raw flax fibers and is technically borderline forged
It is a misnomer really - true forging is the use of force (with or without heat) to reshape a material. Composite forging is the use of force to contain the materials (generally resin and chopped/unoriented fibre) in the desired shape (in a mould) and ensure optimal distribution of resin and fibre. But it is a really useful method for creating parts that area dimensionally complex, ie not thin.
Yep a better explanation than me
All of my thoughts are pretty much summed up here
Further tweaking… still not stoked with anti-rise but we’ll see what I can get.
Slowly finishing up the cad… time to make some break mounts wooot woot
Front Tri done and dusted… now to finshup break mounts (eeekk) I also have some fun stuff coming in the dropouts… till next time
Chur
What’s the rationale behind the square seat tube? I’ve seen this a few times and it’s just made me curious.
In all honesty, in this case lazy modeling on my end, what other bikes have? Keen to take a looksie
