Wood bike?

Bicycles for campers, rvers, or just riding around where ever you are

Wood bike?

Postby mikeschn » Wed May 03, 2017 5:53 pm

Has anyone here build a wood bike? Inquiring minds want to know...

Mike...
The quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten, so build your teardrop with the best materials...
User avatar
mikeschn
Site Admin
 
Posts: 19202
Images: 479
Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2004 11:01 am
Location: MI

Re: Wood bike?

Postby ilovevocs » Thu May 04, 2017 6:44 am

I have not built one personally but have seen a few built from plywood.

They were bulky and features oversized by comparison to typical bicycle construction.
ilovevocs
Teardrop Inspector
 
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Dec 21, 2016 5:24 pm

Re: Wood bike?

Postby Greg M » Thu May 04, 2017 2:56 pm

These "Buckboard Bents" are fairly lightweight and super comfy. I keep meaning to make one.
Image
Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day; teach a person to use the Internet and they won't bother you for weeks.
User avatar
Greg M
*Geek Extraordinaire
 
Posts: 1165
Images: 85
Joined: Mon Sep 12, 2005 12:40 am
Location: Victoria, BC, Canada
Top

Re: Wood bike?

Postby mikeschn » Thu May 04, 2017 5:09 pm

I was thinking a little more traditional. Maybe something like this.

How would one even build something like this?

Image

Mike...
The quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten, so build your teardrop with the best materials...
User avatar
mikeschn
Site Admin
 
Posts: 19202
Images: 479
Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2004 11:01 am
Location: MI
Top

Re: Wood bike?

Postby greygoos » Thu May 04, 2017 7:16 pm

Attachments
bamboo.jpg
bamboo.jpg (35.34 KiB) Viewed 9745 times
greygoos
Silver Donating Member
 
Posts: 630
Joined: Sun Sep 27, 2015 6:15 am
Location: Syracuse NY
Top

Re: Wood bike?

Postby Greg M » Thu May 04, 2017 9:27 pm

mikeschn wrote:I was thinking a little more traditional. Maybe something like this.

How would one even build something like this?

Mike...


You'd need a pretty big steam box, and a whole lotta clamps...
Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day; teach a person to use the Internet and they won't bother you for weeks.
User avatar
Greg M
*Geek Extraordinaire
 
Posts: 1165
Images: 85
Joined: Mon Sep 12, 2005 12:40 am
Location: Victoria, BC, Canada
Top

Re: Wood bike?

Postby mikeschn » Fri May 05, 2017 3:14 am

Interesting...

I wonder if some of those pieces on the weed bike could be 3D printed?

I found this 3d printed titanium piece...

Image

Mike...
The quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten, so build your teardrop with the best materials...
User avatar
mikeschn
Site Admin
 
Posts: 19202
Images: 479
Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2004 11:01 am
Location: MI
Top

Re: Wood bike?

Postby Awesomejim » Sat Feb 17, 2018 5:55 pm

have bot built ine but saw a bamboo bike at a ride in Connecticut. The builder was a craftsman, it looked just like a carbon road bike, you barely would have known, beautuful.
Awesomejim
Teardrop Inspector
 
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Feb 14, 2018 5:46 pm
Top

Re: Wood bike?

Postby Awesomejim » Sat Feb 17, 2018 5:56 pm

have not built one but saw a bamboo bike at a ride in Connecticut. The builder was a craftsman, it looked just like a carbon road bike, you barely would have known, beautiful.
Awesomejim
Teardrop Inspector
 
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Feb 14, 2018 5:46 pm
Top

Re: Wood bike?

Postby tony.latham » Sat Feb 17, 2018 9:48 pm

How would one even build something like this?


I would think that was done by steam bend multiple laminations over a form––one lamination at a time. I've steam-bent canoe stems that way but this would be way above my pay grade.



Tony
User avatar
tony.latham
Gold Donating Member
 
Posts: 6880
Images: 17
Joined: Mon Jul 08, 2013 4:03 pm
Location: Middle of Idaho on the edge of nowhere
Top

Re: Wood bike?

Postby Xanthoman » Sun Feb 18, 2018 3:19 pm

I have never built one but would love to. My methods of creation would depend on the look you are going for. Admittedly, with a veneer you maybe could change it all after you do something else for structural.

The easiest method would to do a plywood bike using two laminated 3/4” Baltic birch pieces and cut out the frame components and route and sand them until you achieve the curvatures you want. Pretty simple really, and quite strong. I made Olympic Rings this way and they were super strong.

The next method for strength would be custom laminates by slicing thin pieces and glueing them. If you stick to mostly broad angles and thin (<1/8”) you can get away without steaming. But steam boxes aren’t complicated so could go that route as well.

Another option might be finding quality stock and turning the tubes on the lathe and then using plywood or laminated just for the joints and tail forks.

I would recommend fiberglassing the top no matter what, but definitely if you go with solid wood. Laminate structures are so strong it’d just be for maintaining the finish...

But generally you can make anything out of wood similar to how you would do it out of metal. The seat post junction comes to mind. Just make a laminated block of maple or other high quality wood and mill it to shape and cut the appropriate tube holes by drilling. (I would do the holes first and Mill after, just to be clear.)

A design I would like to explore in wood would be one similar to the Moulton TSR with a plywood frame in the middle.
Xanthoman
Teardrop Advisor
 
Posts: 58
Images: 3
Joined: Sat Sep 24, 2016 2:02 pm
Location: Rexburg, Idaho
Top

Re: Wood bike?

Postby Westy » Sun Feb 25, 2018 7:21 am

Here's one that could be done. It's made from plywood.
hoopyweb.jpg
hoopyweb.jpg (152.04 KiB) Viewed 9055 times


Website here http://www.woodenwidget.com/

Westy
Westy
Teardrop Advisor
 
Posts: 72
Joined: Fri Mar 19, 2010 7:44 am
Location: West Australia
Top


Return to Bicycles

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 4 guests