There are a lot of alternatives to steel in the 21st century. Aluminum is popular. At the higher end, frames are constructed of titanium, carbon fiber, etc.
I've attached some photos of truly-exotic bicycle frames. One is bamboo. (Actually rather ingenious - it's organic, but it's strong and lightweight, and its fibrous composition gives it a lot in common with oriented carbon fiber.) The other is wood. It's Clancy's homemade wooden bicycle. He built it himself, and I am
totally impressed! You may see him riding it, on the streets of Boise. (It looks a little heavier than some of the bikes out there. And I've told him he needs to be careful on windy days... a sudden side-gust could send him airborne. But it is beautiful, functional, and ingenious.)If you're interested, there's an article about bike frames on the Wikipedia. (I'm cautious about using the Wikipedia when I'm looking up information that's disputed. But bike frames aren't that controversial, huh?)
4 comments:
Finally, a picture of the famed wood bike! It's certainly striking. I hope to see it in real life one day.
Also, check this out:
http://www.instructables.com/id/ECY4GKGO0BEZTBBBXU
It's a home-built Xtracycle. It's also WICKED ugly.
Since the wind died down it might get ridden to work. It weighs about the same as average mountain bike. Wood main advantage is it's strength to weight ratio.
The homebuilt Extracycle looks interesting. I will keep my eye on that. Thanks for the link
Beautiful bike, Clancy. I had seen bamboo bikes before, but not your wood-frame design. Would wood be strong enough to allow some cut-outs? That might make it a bit more wind-friendly.
Yes it wood. I have thought about cutouts on a future bike for the front triangle. The future bike is on hold so I might try cutting this one (gasp). The front triangle rib is LVL or laminated veneer lumber. It is used for the seat and rear deck also. The sides are 3/8" birch plywood. The rear triangle needs all the help it can get, so no cutting there.
Thanks for the complements.
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