Has anyone built a bicycle before, from scratch?

[CGCINC]

I'm just kicking around an idea for a mountain bike I have.
I want it to be light and not sure what most bikes are made out of.

Is Aluminum strong enough? Titanium?

[DaveO]

Scratch bike from bamboo! I built this when I was marooned on a desert island, with my friend the Professor...

Kidding, of course. (It wasn't Professor, it was Mary Ann.) But in some circles starting a discussion on frame material is like starting a Ford / Chevy debate: likely as not to end in a fistfight.

Bicycle frames come in chrome-moly steel, aluminum, titanium, carbon fiber, and yes, bamboo. Each has its pros and cons, hence the Ford / Chevy thing. Steel is strong enough that to save weight, frame makers "butt" the frame tubes: tube walls are thin in middle of the tube, then slightly thicker toward the end, and thicker still at the very end for welding purposes. Aluminum is plenty strong, but concensus among riders is that the frames are much stiffer, and bangs the rider around more than steel. I have not ridden a carbon fiber or titanium frame, mostly because they are dramatically more expensive and partly because I became a fulltime Daddy and haven't had time to ride like I'd like to. I have "built" my bicycles to the extent that when I'm able to find a frame tall enough to fit me, I populate the new frame with components; when I build my next mountain bike I will build a steel "hard tail" (front suspension only) and pass my current aluminum frame along to anyone who wants it.

What is your idea for a mountain bike, if it's not proprietary and you can share?

[CGCINC]

I just have some thoughts for suspension and looks really... Not anything too technical.
I just wasn't sure what to use to build it. My bike is Way lighter than my wifes bike, they were both bought at Walmart.
We both like to ride my bike better because we have an 11 mile bike trail close but there are a lot of hills, weight Does make a difference.

I was thinking of doing it out of Aluminum and there would be suspension on it.

Bamboo...? That's Crazy!! And Awesome!!! So are you Gilligan? lol


What guage material would be appropriate?

[DaveO]

I had to look this up, so it's not coming off the top of my head: I saw aluminum frame tubes described like this:
DxW1/W2/W3xL = 35mm dia x 1.7/0.9/1.4mm wall x 640 long, so it captures the width of the butting within the tube

...at a website called http://www.cycle-frames.com/. I never knew sites like that existed: it looks like you can buy frame kits and assemble them yourself. A lot of cool stuff there- tubes that are shaped for aerodynamics, for instance. Steel, aluminum, and stainless tube sets. Hmmm...

[CGCINC]

[QUOTE=DaveO;29331]
... http://www.cycle-frames.com/
[QUOTE/]

Even if I didn't build a bike, that website has got me thinking!! Thanks for that!

[undercut]

I ran across the following from everlastsupport (Mike R.) last week.

http://www.everlastgenerators.com/fo...t=tube+cutting

Might help you all if you decide to start cutting custom tubing yourselves. Pretty cool software. Wasn't so keen on the magnetic templates. Gotta love the Internet - most of the time

[jakeru]

Check out this forum -
http://forums.mtbr.com/frame-building/

Lots of good bike frame builders and info there.

[CGCINC]

Check out this forum -
http://forums.mtbr.com/frame-building/

Lots of good bike frame builders and info there.

Good one! Thanks