I initially began thinking of what to do for this project with a lot of ideas in mind. All of them were projects I had considered doing independently of this class but never had the resources or resolve to give them a complete try. I knew that I wanted a product that I could use as an end result and not be something I discard. I wanted this project to give me material value in a result I could use, in addition to the value I’d gain from the learning process of experimenting with my build.

My first intention was to build a fountain and I had played with the idea of casting something out of cement or carving from blocks of wood I had laying around. But I didn’t want to deal with harsh chemicals, didn’t know anything about carving nor did I have any resources, and most important didn’t think that I could achieve an aesthetic that I would be happy with at the end. My teammate had begun his project of making his own bike and as riding them is a huge passion of mine, I was likewise interested in making my own product that I could ride.

Like so many other aspects of my life, I always come back to the gospel of two wheels. I had the opportunity of applying some of my academic experience and other skills to this project. I had some CAD experience from other classes and had a good idea of the tolerances and geometry that I’d wanted. Likewise I had some experience with welding from Component Design and Senior Design that I could apply here. This project was the accumulation of my academic knowledge, my experience with bikes, and my aesthetic aspirations.

Going forward I intend to braze on housing stops and paint the frame. I still want to keep with the original intention going with really vibrant colors and will probably paint each tube a different color. The seat-stays will be the same color and I’ll just clear coat the driveside chain stay. To cover the lugs I want to keep the metallic touch and will either finish them with a chrome or copper finisher which will be a good divider between the different colored tubes. With everything on the frame complete I fully intend to build the bike up and get an idea for the ride characteristics and general function. I think if nothing else it’ll be a great townie.

Here’s a link to the final presentation: https://youtu.be/6cQRw3bcYgA