Gig or fixture

So the next step from the design was to setup a datum and gig.
$100 of one inch extruded aluminum profile and hardware and then the hard part, centering cones. Well that was actual a deal. I found a place that sells plastic balls for fire works shells. The shell has a center hole I drilled to 1/4th inch and then I made a plywood circle base some Crazy Glue and washer and these haves make fantastic centering cones.

Chapter One The Design

Lets start with the design. Got to start some where. I have always liked the Beam  frames  of  Zipp and Soft Ride power V. when i saw this wood fixie at  http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/articles/stolpmann/

I knew the design had to be a V  so hear she is

The design was first created as a model in SolidWorks permitting me to optimize all aspect s of the design including alignment of components like wheel, rear cog and crank then go on to creation of the gig. When designing  in a 3D environment like UG, SolidWorks, Caria and similar the advantage is that you can position parts and even do a bit of FEA to see if the system will take the load ore not. It helped to start with a proven design and maybe 25 years of  engineering and working  in a bike shop that built frames from scratch in the late 80s. A education in classic Italian bicycle construction goes along way when put in the hands of an engineer.

Onward and foreword. My first job was at a small bicycle shop in Chicago called Roberts Cycles run by a Richard Bono.

I got my introduction to building bicycles early . The educations was a good one and latter it was reinforced with a long list of engineering skills as well as  welding brazing cad mill metal and composite materiel work.

But i have always like ed the hands on approach of making something with my own two hands. I was never intimidated by the mills and CNC's i worked or the welders I had to use in my R&D career but i absolutist hated that that all this equipment say for the CNC / CNC router will set you back a few bucks and takes up space like no ones  business.

So when i saw a Bamboo bike at a show  and rode one i was hooked. Considering that it can be built with come simple saws, and some rotary grinders, a gig , carbon fiber tow and epoxy and you have a bike.

Time to apply the Engineering education.

I realize that we live in an amazing free country and we have freedom to think and freedom to say what we feel. With all freedom one needs to learn restraint and before one grabs the keyboard and type up comments about a subject thy know little if nothing about.

I have read my last comet about the Renovo wood bicycle and Ken Wheeler the designer and engineer. Ken took a material and created a an amazing product. And just because you don't understand how the material can be turned into a product that dose not make it necessary to instantly croquette and make un educated comets.

Wood happens to be the original fiber compost materiel even before Fiberglass, Kevlar and Carboniferous and unlike the exotic materials listed wood is cheep and so easy to work with. No expensive tools no dangerous welding, just saws files, glue and some gigging. OK if you want to go like the Renovo exotica wood you can go to the CNC router but even that is quire cheep today about 5K.

People like Ken keeps me believing that there are still people in the world able to think outside the box.

Interesting though that the Renovo is designed to utilize nodes just like Bamboo does naturally so why not just use bamboo?

Like all materials Bamboo has its "character" that has to be overcume however  with a bit of thinking and Bamboo can be just as good if not better. Good to remember all materials need to be engineered.  As I learned vary well when I developed the Compost Skin On Frame Kayak. The prototype of which is nearing completion