Hack-A-Day: How a bicycle is made
Old school style.
If you guys aren't on it, check out HackADay.com. Very cool stuff.
Hack-A-Day: How a bicycle is made
Old school style.
If you guys aren't on it, check out HackADay.com. Very cool stuff.
Awesome! Great to see how it was done, with lots of jobs for the community and the end result a quality piece that will last for 60 years. Too bad people don't demand that type of quality anymore.
That's very cool! As far as I can tell my Raleigh Sports is approaching 45 years of being totally rad.
Enyar wrote: Awesome! Great to see how it was done, with lots of jobs for the community and the end result a quality piece that will last for 60 years. Too bad people don't demand that type of quality anymore.
You can still get it, but you have to pay for it. Just like you did 60 years ago. And you have to take care of it. Again, just like 60 years ago.
I remember working with my grandfather in his workshop and ham shack. He had lots of old stuff. Not because it was inherently higher quality, but because he treated everything with just a bit of care. You don't slam drawers, you close them. You don't throw tools in a box, you place them in a box. Just that little bit of attention, spread over 60 years, makes all the difference. I do my best to emulate him.
I had a Raliegh and, to honest, it wasn't as good as my old Trek. Sad. They have wen't the way of cheap just like everyone else.
Enyar wrote: Awesome! Great to see how it was done, with lots of jobs for the community and the end result a quality piece that will last for 60 years. Too bad people don't demand that type of quality anymore.
I wonder how much a bike built like that would cost today?
Reminds me of this film
Flight Service wrote: I had a Raliegh and, to honest, it wasn't as good as my old Trek. Sad. They have wen't the way of cheap just like everyone else.
I have an old Raleigh. I love it. It is quantitatively crap compared to most any modern bike outside of a Walmart (and some inside). It's heavy, flexy, has steel rims that don't take re-truing well or brake for a damn if it's damp out (I live in Portland)...
It's basically well made (it's still here, after all), but time marches on. If I were going to buy a totally modern bike for the role this one has, I'd end up spending a grand-ish for something which had vastly better function and some of the same sex appeal (okay, stuffy, tweedy, stove-enameled, sexless appeal).
I wonder how much of the bad rap of modern bikes comes from the vast swathes of department store bikes out there. They're built to recognize that the price point people often want to buy bikes at isn't enough to buy really solid stuff. I would think with modern manufacturing that they could do better in function at the cost of weight, but I'm alway horrified when friends or family ask me to try to get little Johnny's K-Mart special working reasonably well and the parts just don't have the precision to be brought into any kind of reasonable adjustment...
But I digress some more.
Shared by my buddy who is a Trek Quality Engineer
In reply to Flight Service:
That's pretty cool!
Ransom wrote:Flight Service wrote: I had a Raliegh and, to honest, it wasn't as good as my old Trek. Sad. They have wen't the way of cheap just like everyone else.I wonder how much of the bad rap of modern bikes comes from the vast swathes of department store bikes out there. They're built to recognize that the price point people often want to buy bikes at isn't enough to buy really solid stuff. I would think with modern manufacturing that they could do better in function at the cost of weight, but I'm alway horrified when friends or family ask me to try to get little Johnny's K-Mart special working reasonably well and the parts just don't have the precision to be brought into any kind of reasonable adjustment...
IIRC, a basic Huffy 10 speed was $100 in the early '80s. Steel rims, stamped steel brakes, steel one piece crank. I just checked WalMart.com and found you can buy a basic "mountain bike" for ... $89! One single tire on my mountain bike (Schwalbe Nobby Nic 29er) is about $75. It's no prize, to be sure, but it has 3 piece aluminum cranks, aluminum brakes, aluminum rims, and a suspension fork. It's certainly nicer than my old huffy for less money even w/o correcting for inflation.
The shame of Walmart bikes, IMHO, is that they have so much buying power that they could actually sell something decent for $199 if they would just make a true basic bike and not waste dollars on lots of gears and suspension. I guess the whiz-bang stuff sells even if it's total garbage.
Hopefully ECM will see this thread, as I'm SURE she can shed some light on my opinion.
Anway, this video kind of nudges me that there should be a "build a great road frame for $x or less" thread on this part.
I could be wrong, but there are a lot good welders here, most of the tubes are pretty available, the key parts would be the front tube for the fork/bars, the bottom crank tube, and the unique ends of the back where the rear wheel and components attach.
Given an equation based on personal measurements, one should be able to have a pretty accurate frame size available. And since fabricating the bike frame isn't that far from fabricating a Locost frame, well, you get the idea. (I think I can make a pretty flat reference to do the welding- but wonder if I should braze, or can I get away with good MIG welding)
Anyway, a list of good forks, and components, and you have a Locost bike. Well, it's still not free, but you get the idea.
In reference to the frame, a GRMer can't do the tubes or the brackets as they were made in the film, but hot work is do-able, and painting has been covered in lenght. Assembly is a matter of tools.
That way even you can have a high quality, hand made, bike.
You mean like this $99 Fixie/Freewheel hub basic bike?
The crank set and lack of rear brake are the only things that I don't like on this thing. The welds are in good shape, bearings seem OK.
Just a solid basic bike.
alfadriver wrote: Anway, this video kind of nudges me that there should be a "build a great road frame for $x or less" thread on this part.
As you requested, but not in video form.
alfadriver wrote: In reference to the frame, a GRMer can't do the tubes or the brackets as they were made in the film, That way even you can have a high quality, hand made, bike.
ARE YOU CHALLENGING US?!?!?!?!?!?!
I've got a bike in the shed that was a cheap department store bike back in the 60's or so. The tubes are crimped, not brazed. It was very obviously built as cheaply as possible. Not all old stuff is golden. I painted it flat black, put on a fat rear tire, a fun seat and some crazy handlebars and made a rat rod cruiser out of it. Like so many rat rods, it fundamentally sucks so I never ride it 
BTW, since the Raleigh video is circa 1945, I'd peg that as being closer to 70 years ago than 60 :)
Flight Service wrote:alfadriver wrote: Anway, this video kind of nudges me that there should be a "build a great road frame for $x or less" thread on this part.As you requested, but not in video form.alfadriver wrote: In reference to the frame, a GRMer can't do the tubes or the brackets as they were made in the film, That way even you can have a high quality, hand made, bike.ARE YOU CHALLENGING US?!?!?!?!?!?!
Are you not challenging yourself? 
(and yes, I am to me- I think it's more likely I will fabricate a bike more than a car)
Flight Service wrote: You mean like this $99 Fixie/Freewheel hub basic bike? The crank set and lack of rear brake are the only things that I don't like on this thing. The welds are in good shape, bearings seem OK. Just a solid basic bike.
How about that? If only I had scrolled down... :)
alfadriver wrote: (and yes, I am to me- I think it's more likely I will fabricate a bike more than a car)
Check these out:
The Paterek Manual (steel framebuilding "bible", or the closest thing to one)
There are many great discussions on framebuilding at Velocipede Salon, but this is neat for being semi-all-in-one.
I am neither a framebuilding expert (haven't done a-one yet) nor a welding expert, but my impression is that MIG is ill-suited to the very thin tubing used on bikes. Either TIG or brazing (fillet or lugged) are the normal options...
Flight Service wrote: Trek project one Shared by my buddy who is a Trek Quality Engineer
I have an older Trek, an OCLV 9700 Mountain Bike. Old school now, but still very well built and even after nailing a car ( he turned right in front of me), has given me zero issues
In reply to The_Jed:
On the off chance that anybody hasn't seen (or hasn't recently enough seen) the Bicycle Repairman sketch.
Keith Tanner wrote:Enyar wrote: Awesome! Great to see how it was done, with lots of jobs for the community and the end result a quality piece that will last for 60 years. Too bad people don't demand that type of quality anymore.You can still get it, but you have to pay for it. Just like you did 60 years ago. And you have to take care of it. Again, just like 60 years ago. I remember working with my grandfather in his workshop and ham shack. He had lots of old stuff. Not because it was inherently higher quality, but because he treated everything with just a bit of care. You don't slam drawers, you close them. You don't throw tools in a box, you place them in a box. Just that little bit of attention, spread over 60 years, makes all the difference. I do my best to emulate him.
Oh I agree, I guess I was mostly harping about how most people are ok with a disposable society and just buy garbage nowadays. Seems like back in the day quality was key, now everyone just wants cheap.
Flight Service wrote:alfadriver wrote: Anway, this video kind of nudges me that there should be a "build a great road frame for $x or less" thread on this part.As you requested, but not in video form.alfadriver wrote: In reference to the frame, a GRMer can't do the tubes or the brackets as they were made in the film, That way even you can have a high quality, hand made, bike.ARE YOU CHALLENGING US?!?!?!?!?!?!
Now that I've read through that- I want to know more. If I join that site, does one get more detailed postings? That's pretty cool, and pretty realistic for a GRM'er to make.
mad_machine wrote:Flight Service wrote: Trek project one Shared by my buddy who is a Trek Quality EngineerI have an older Trek, an OCLV 9700 Mountain Bike. Old school now, but still very well built and even after nailing a car ( he turned right in front of me), has given me zero issues
my road bike is a 31 year old made in the USA Trek crit racing frame... Reynolds tubing goodness and fits 32c tires (granted the rear tire has to go in deflated so I can get it past hitting the front derailleur/seat tube), and has modern geometry... it's got a few rust bubbles under the paint thanks to it living for many years in Hawaii... the vintage trek frames fit me well, ride comfortably, and can run "real" tires (another part of the comfort)... I'm still looking for another "sport" frame for the more stable handling...
but as some have pointed out, not all old bikes are gems...
alfadriver wrote:Flight Service wrote:alfadriver wrote: Anway, this video kind of nudges me that there should be a "build a great road frame for $x or less" thread on this part.As you requested, but not in video form.alfadriver wrote: In reference to the frame, a GRMer can't do the tubes or the brackets as they were made in the film, That way even you can have a high quality, hand made, bike.ARE YOU CHALLENGING US?!?!?!?!?!?!
Now that I've read through that- I want to know more. If I join that site, does one get more detailed postings? That's pretty cool, and pretty realistic for a GRM'er to make.
You can get everything one page at a time for free if you join there are some very nice printing/export type features. I just copy the site and edit it to Word.
In reply to Flight Service: On the same site, there's another guy who makes a CF bike, and there's another website that has videos of a guy making a CF bike.
I'll do some investigation, but honestly, the biggest question I have before making a "LoCost Challenge Bike" thread is what components to use. Not even sure where to look.
Frame looks a lot more straight forward than that does- be it steel that's tig'ed or brazed, or CF. Although, realistically, the frame would be the focus for this group- since it's in the realm of fabrication possibility.
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