'There is so much more engineering that goes into bikes than people think. I think bikes have been around for so long we take them for granted,' discovered Kevin Frias
I like bikes and I like 3d printing. If nothing else, this project exemplifies the can-do spirit, because sometimes the reason is simply “no else has done it yet” or “it’d be cool”.
With that said, a true-and-proper 3d printed bike would likely have substantial differences from a conventionally produced bike, to suit today’s 3d printing limitations. It would likely be a hybrid that still uses some conventional parts.
But that’s not a bad thing: the 200 year history of bikes shows how technology morphs the machine. When machining tolerances allowed sprockets to mesh with chains, gone went the directly-pedaled “big wheel” of ancient penny-farthing bikes, in favor of two wheels of roughly equal size. When rubber and tire construction suitably advanced, we got balloon tires that made bikes more comfortable and complied to rough road surfaces. When li-ion batteries and electric motors became sufficiently miniatured, we attached them to bikes and turned the old “moped” idea into the multi billion dollar ebike segment.
It’s not a stretch of the imagination that more changes and experiments will take place with the basic design of the bicycle. It would odd if that didn’t happen. In that sense, the more bikes change, the more they stay the same.
I like bikes and I like 3d printing. If nothing else, this project exemplifies the can-do spirit, because sometimes the reason is simply “no else has done it yet” or “it’d be cool”.
With that said, a true-and-proper 3d printed bike would likely have substantial differences from a conventionally produced bike, to suit today’s 3d printing limitations. It would likely be a hybrid that still uses some conventional parts.
But that’s not a bad thing: the 200 year history of bikes shows how technology morphs the machine. When machining tolerances allowed sprockets to mesh with chains, gone went the directly-pedaled “big wheel” of ancient penny-farthing bikes, in favor of two wheels of roughly equal size. When rubber and tire construction suitably advanced, we got balloon tires that made bikes more comfortable and complied to rough road surfaces. When li-ion batteries and electric motors became sufficiently miniatured, we attached them to bikes and turned the old “moped” idea into the multi billion dollar ebike segment.
It’s not a stretch of the imagination that more changes and experiments will take place with the basic design of the bicycle. It would odd if that didn’t happen. In that sense, the more bikes change, the more they stay the same.