Private Online Course

Introduction to Bicycle Design and Frame-Building

This online seminar has a duration of 3 hours and will suit all bicycle enthusiasts, professional mechanics, bike shop assistants, industrial engineers and, by extension, any person interested to acquire a better understanding about the bicycle in general. It is not necessary to have any previous knowledge on the subject.

This on-line seminar is structured around the design of a bespoke bike on the software BikeCad Pro. As we advance in the design of the frame, we will proceed to explain all the different areas related to the process – geometry, biomechanics, selection of materials and joining techniques- paying particular attention to the most relevant aspects of frame-building.

The aim of this seminar is to provide the basic principles of bike design and frame-building and offer a solid starting point for any student interested in advancing on this field. This seminar can be described as an expanded version of the first theoretical session of the Bike Design and Frame-Building Course (DCB-I and DCB-II)

• Introduction: Design and Production types: Custom, Semi-Custom and Serial Bikes

• Customer relationship. The original idea. Bicycle function and form. Customer preferences, dimensions and fitness.

• Ergonomy and Position according to use. The three contact points of the cyclist. Bike Fitting.

• Different types of bicycles. How the type of use defines the geometry and the cyclist position on the bike.

• BikeCad Pro. A working and learning tool. Bicycle design and basic parameters. Data gathering and design execution on BikeCad.

• Bicycle Manoeuvrability: The most relevant parameters defining bike handling. Different types of use and geometries.

• Bike Frame Materials: steel, aluminium and carbon fibers. Mechanical properties and the pros and cons of each of these frame materials.

• The Bicycle Frame as a Dynamic Structure: Most relevant structural properties of bicycle frame.

• Frame-Building Techniques: lugs, fillet-brazing, TIG welding and carbon fibers.

• Safety: ISO test for bicycle frames, impact and material fatigue testing.

• Workshop Basics and Layout: Different types of workshops. Machine vs Hand based frame-construction.

Staff

Teacher

Andrés Arregui

Head of Design and Frame-building Area