Frame material of choice

Aidy

As mentioned here.

What frame material of choice? Money no object.
For me, it has to be titanium (and not just because I've got one!).

No mixes. You have to choose a single material. [0]

[0] Okay, technically carbon fibre frames are going to have steel inserts. And bamboo (there must be a few oddballs out there) frames are going to need to be lugged with something else. But you know what I mean.

Skippy2309

Ti all the way for me, seen too many pics of broken carbon frames.

Aidy

I can't believe that the first vote (other than mine) was for bamboo!

Who was it? Own up.

tgotb

Skippy2309 wrote:

Ti all the way for me, seen too many pics of broken carbon frames.

Can't carbon frames be repaired? I do a lot of sailing in carbon boats, and we repair those, including highly-stressed bits like the masts, the whole time...

Anyone have a broken carbon frame they don't want any more? :-)

cjcp

That guy on the Brompton wrote:

Skippy2309 wrote:

Ti all the way for me, seen too many pics of broken carbon frames.

Can't carbon frames be repaired? I do a lot of sailing in carbon boats, and we repair those, including highly-stressed bits like the masts, the whole time...

Anyone have a broken carbon frame they don't want any more? :-)

A mate of mine repaired what, on its face, was a royally screwed top tube on a BMC. He used to work in composites and stuff like that, so he wrapped and filled and stuff like that, and has ridden it. Whereas I would have just cried.

What about:

1. Scandium (like the TdF Skil-Shimano bikes); and
2. the carbon/flax mix produced by Johan Musseuw (bad spelling!)?

Aidy

cjcp wrote:

1. Scandium (like the TdF Skil-Shimano bikes); and
2. the carbon/flax mix produced by Johan Musseuw (bad spelling!)?

I thought about including Scandium - but such frames are just aluminium really
I'd completely forgotten about the carbon/flax type frames - although I kinda feel they fall under the esoteric option

chris281192

bambo and other hardwoods truly kick ass, and i wish they were used more often, but until then steel is a very good but easily forgotten material...

Aidy

chris281192 wrote:

bambo and other hardwoods truly kick ass, and i wish they were used more often, but until then steel is a very good but easily forgotten material...

[pedant]Bamboo isn't a wood, it's a grass.[/pedant]

supersonic

Any of Ti, CF, Al or organic that I liked the ride of. Or maybe even steel.

I can't say one or another beforehand really. The build design and construction have so much affect om feel of the frame.

Hercule Q

i want a frame made from a hemp composite

Aidy

Suprising number of people opting for bamboo, I really didn't think it would be that popular!

UndercoverElephant

I'm actually toying with the idea of building a bamboo fixie over the winter from scratch. I'm a pretty keen wood worker (OK pedants, I'd be a grass worker), so I reckon I could manage quite a good job. :oops:

prawny

Can you get bikes made from Carbotanium yet? If so I want one of those

SteppenHerring

I want a frame made from the bones of my enemies.

Aidy

UndercoverElephant wrote:

I'm actually toying with the idea of building a bamboo fixie over the winter from scratch. I'm a pretty keen wood worker (OK pedants, I'd be a grass worker), so I reckon I could manage quite a good job. :oops:

Hmm, I would also be interested in such a project.
Do keep us (me) up to date.

markp2

If anyone wants some bamboo to build a frame from, I have around 120 species growing in my garden and would happily donate a few culms to a worthy cause. Just let me know which species is recommended.
Cheers,
Mark

UndercoverElephant

markp2 wrote:

If anyone wants some bamboo to build a frame from, I have around 120 species growing in my garden and would happily donate a few culms to a worthy cause. Just let me know which species is recommended.
Cheers,
Mark

I believe Moso is the bamboo of choice for anything structural. The main thing would be the diameter, do you have any around the 32mm, 29mm, 22mm and 11mm marks? You must have a superb garden.

This would definitely push me over the edge.

Aidy

markp2 wrote:

If anyone wants some bamboo to build a frame from, I have around 120 species growing in my garden and would happily donate a few culms to a worthy cause. Just let me know which species is recommended.
Cheers,
Mark

That's more than a little tempting - might have to do some research and get back to you

UndercoverElephant

Aidy wrote:

That's more than a little tempting - might have to do some research and get back to you

This is the link that's spurring my interest:

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to- ... e-or-bike/

Aidy

UndercoverElephant wrote:

This is the link that's spurring my interest:

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-build-a-Bamboo-Bicycle-or-bike/

Yes, or I could just steal your research.

I saw a few construction projects several years back (must be nearly 10 now, gosh I'm old) which always piqued my interest. But if I remember rightly, they involved building from scratch - sourcing dropouts, bottom bracket shells, and headtubes from frame manufacturers.

Your link seems to be much more in keeping with what I had in mind.

UndercoverElephant

Aidy wrote:

UndercoverElephant wrote:

This is the link that's spurring my interest:

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-build-a-Bamboo-Bicycle-or-bike/

Yes, or I could just steal your research.

I saw a few construction projects several years back (must be nearly 10 now, gosh I'm old) which always piqued my interest. But if I remember rightly, they involved building from scratch - sourcing dropouts, bottom bracket shells, and headtubes from frame manufacturers.

Your link seems to be much more in keeping with what I had in mind.

You mean, like this other link:

http://www.framebuilding.com/

I've been toying with this for a while, you see.

Roastie

cjcp wrote:

2. the carbon/flax mix produced by Johan Musseuw (bad spelling!)?

I saw a dude commuting on one of those down Borough High Street - had a quick chat. It is a lovely frame.

gtvlusso

Steel for me....stable, nice flex, comfy.....

Want a steel frame now, able to take a 1 and 1/8 front end!

markp2

Moso is Phyllostachys edulis (the same stuff you get in a Chinese resturant and seen in the film Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon). I have it growing but the max diameter of culm is only about 25mm.
I have other similar Phyllostachys species up to about 50mm if they would do.
Cheers,
Mark

UndercoverElephant

markp2 wrote:

Moso is Phyllostachys edulis (the same stuff you get in a Chinese resturant and seen in the film Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon). I have it growing but the max diameter of culm is only about 25mm.
I have other similar Phyllostachys species up to about 50mm if they would do.
Cheers,
Mark

You really do have a cool garden

If you could supply close to the four diameters I'd need (32mm, 29mm, 22mm and 11mm), then that would be superb. I was slightly joking about it, but it really would be interesting to give it a go. I'd obviously pay for the courier and anything else.

Aidy

UndercoverElephant wrote:

You really do have a cool garden

If you could supply close to the four diameters I'd need (32mm, 29mm, 22mm and 11mm), then that would be superb. I was slightly joking about it, but it really would be interesting to give it a go. I'd obviously pay for the courier and anything else.

And if there's enough to go around, and it's not too much hassle, I'd love a go myself.

markp2

I can do that. Drop me your addresses and the lengths you want (don't say 10m + as won't go in a delivery wagon!).
I haven't worked out the PM system on this board yet, but I hope that if I get a messege it will be obvious.
The other option is to come round and cut your own! (Rather a long way from Scotland though)
Cheers,
mark

UndercoverElephant

Mark, you have a PM.

Aidy

Awesome, I'll drop you a line later tonight (need to measure things up and work out what I'll want first).

Most generous of you

rolf_f

markp2 wrote:

Moso is Phyllostachys edulis (the same stuff you get in a Chinese resturant and seen in the film Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon). I have it growing but the max diameter of culm is only about 25mm.

That's just ordinary bamboo - no good at all. For bikes you need Reynolds double butted bamboo.....

tebbit

Can you post a picture of your garden it sounds really good, ok this is a cycling website but I'd love to see it.