Global-flat.com Board

English => Parts & Bikes => Topic started by: Laan-daan on June 24, 2008, 02:27:16 PM

Title: Make your own parts...
Post by: Laan-daan on June 24, 2008, 02:27:16 PM

Has anyone else tried this?

I'm a welder & just getting into Flatland.
Bought a second hand bike off Gumtree with an Ares frame,
but the rest of it was set up for riding Dirt?!?

Decided to draw up a prototype based of a mix of a few designs
I liked a long time ago (one of my first posts)
& finally got around to making it.
What do you think?

Width is 23" Height is 7.5" Offset is about 1", maybe a little over.
Can't see from the photo but I finished the stem off with some old
bolts from a set of brake pads & the grips are old inner tubes cut
into strips with a scalpel.

(http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c158/hierotochan/Dual.jpg)
(http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c158/hierotochan/DSC00529.jpg)
(http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c158/hierotochan/DSC00526.jpg)
(http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c158/hierotochan/DSC00527.jpg)
(http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c158/hierotochan/DSC00532.jpg)
(http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c158/hierotochan/DSC00536.jpg)
(http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c158/hierotochan/DSC00539.jpg)
(http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c158/hierotochan/DSC00540.jpg)
(http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c158/hierotochan/DSC00545.jpg)
Title: Re: Make your own parts...
Post by: *Fo* on June 24, 2008, 02:35:23 PM
oO nice work man!!! looks like veeeery pretty!!!
Title: Re: Make your own parts...
Post by: kkmk on June 24, 2008, 02:44:02 PM
so, you made some londons with a crossbar too low to let a stem get in there?
Title: Re: Make your own parts...
Post by: Paradoxium on June 24, 2008, 02:49:59 PM
so, you made some londons with a crossbar too low to let a stem get in there?

Its a bar stem combo. Same offset as biz n brickhouse.

Not bad Laan-daan, are the welds secure? Its dificult to get perfect welds around tubing, but I spy a small hole.

Looks good though. Sorta like londons.
Title: Re: Make your own parts...
Post by: Laan-daan on June 24, 2008, 04:08:06 PM

Yeah I liked the style of the Londons & the Quamen bars,
but the eight piece design was a bit too complicated.
Too many welds to go wrong & too much to cut/miter,
then ages to file it (by hand) to meet & chamfer.

I might try something like the Inertia bars next time if I can
get somewhere near an electronic pipe bender
(hand/hydraulic is really hit & miss to get two bends the same).

Yeah you're right, the stem clamp is welded to the bars.
It was tight getting in there, but I used a long stick-out on the
TIG welder to get right inside. Next time I'll weld each tube
to the stem individually before I add the arms, should make
it easier to get in & around them.

Anyone else had an idea for a part/design I could try?
Title: Re: Make your own parts...
Post by: Paradoxium on June 24, 2008, 04:19:56 PM
Anyone else had an idea for a part/design I could try?

A bar stem combo with the bolts between the bar and stem.
Title: Re: Make your own parts...
Post by: Lokalazeros on June 24, 2008, 04:23:12 PM

Has anyone else tried this?

I'm a welder & just getting into Flatland.

I am in the same boat. I've designed some bars but didn't had time/ressources to make it happen. I guess I should start by buying some steel tubing ^_^
as for idea, you could also try and design a frame if you feel it  ;D
Title: Re: Make your own parts...
Post by: Laan-daan on June 24, 2008, 04:30:10 PM


Not bad Laan-daan, are the welds secure? Its dificult to get perfect welds around tubing, but I spy a small hole.

[/quote]

Oh that's not a hole on the left grip, it's just a patch I didn't grind down.
The pipe was black & I just sanded off the coating & surface rust.

I saw the ABadThing bars & they have their bolts at the front, looks better.
Might try putting a fillet on the steering tube of my fork to slot into the gap on my stem.
Then I could get rid of the bolts altogether & the top bolt from the headset would be
all I needed to keep it all attached.

Cheers for the feedback.
Title: Re: Make your own parts...
Post by: Suelo sam on June 24, 2008, 04:46:52 PM
looks like a decent job you done there :)

wish i had the skills and know how to make my own parts cos i can imagine it being really fun
Title: Re: Make your own parts...
Post by: cow on June 24, 2008, 05:23:48 PM
 :ph34r:if you have the patience.........................................you could look for a free program on google called googlesketchup and learn to draw you designs in 3d..........

i'm a AutoCad (Computer Aided Drafting)drafting technician.

i sent a handle i designed to mountaintop fabrication a few days ago for a quotation to build a prototype.....here in trinidad its a little stressful & expensive to get chromoly,so i'm hoping they honestly don't steal my design and answer me................but respect to you for that attempt man.
Title: Re: Make your own parts...
Post by: condemned bmx on June 24, 2008, 06:00:18 PM
i love it!, praps next on the agenda could be a custom frame?
Title: Re: Make your own parts...
Post by: flatlandfan on June 24, 2008, 06:17:16 PM
Well done!
I dig the bars!  :beer:
Title: Re: Make your own parts...
Post by: misterpola on June 24, 2008, 06:21:38 PM
(http://img110.imageshack.us/img110/3053/imagen004qs4.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
Bars and frame, Home-made by one friend (Antonio)
Stem, Back pegs and fork made by another friend (Vaiko)
and they work quiet well..
Title: Re: Make your own parts...
Post by: Advanced Projects on June 25, 2008, 02:19:15 AM
I actually made my own bars before zero up and back sweep with a low crossbar and a high rise i just didn't take into acount of harding the metal again i recommend that if anyone makes their own parts to harden the metal first
Title: Re: Make your own parts...
Post by: Laan-daan on June 27, 2008, 10:42:49 PM

I'm going to skip designing a frame for now, as I've only ever even seen two flatland frames in the flesh!
Might make a start on some forks though.

Drilled out some street pegs I had lying around, much lighter now.
Also got given a busted up saddle last week & re-upholstered it today.
Unlike some people I actually ride my BMX places & need somewhere padded to sit my ass!

Hope everyone has good luck with their own projects.
Title: Re: Make your own parts...
Post by: EZChris on June 27, 2008, 11:25:38 PM
they look good for a first attempt, but then again you have skills in welding.


Alot of people would like to do this but they dont have the skills or resources to achive it.

I know welders, but my views are that if I buy a handlebar from a company, someone else has had to run the risk of losing teeth from faulty design.

I would like to design my own stuff but its so hit and miss as to whether you can create somthing functional and sturdy, which is why I leave it to people who get paid to do that.


Not diss you bars at all tho man, they look really nice. I hope they last you along while and wish you luck for future projects!
Title: Re: Make your own parts...
Post by: Laan-daan on July 12, 2008, 06:32:19 PM
The re-modeling continues...

10 hours of wet & dry sanding with 3M 400,
2 coats primer, 5 coats color & a can of satin varnish.
Can't really tell the true shade in the photo,
will hopefully be going for a session on Sun. with Mizo & get a good one.

(http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c158/hierotochan/DSC00573.jpg)
(http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c158/hierotochan/DSC00574.jpg)
(http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c158/hierotochan/DSC00575.jpg)
(http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c158/hierotochan/DSC00578.jpg)
(http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c158/hierotochan/DSC00581.jpg)

Thanks to Flo @ Kunstform for his perseverance with DHL.
Check the specials out: 2x Suelo breaks for cheapŁ$€!
Title: Re: Make your own parts...
Post by: fritz on July 12, 2008, 07:01:26 PM
thats a nice lookin' bike man :wub:
Title: Re: Make your own parts...
Post by: Dee. on July 12, 2008, 09:03:35 PM
Nice one m8  ;D.

As someone whos spent too many years welding and painting. The only real worry i got is the heat treatment process that the manufacturers put their products through 'after' the've been welded, especially the lite stuff, would be worth looking into. The other thing is guess its only really worth scratch building something thats different otherwise its so easy to get into reinventing the wheel territory.

Top marks tho mon. They look niiiice! :beer:  -_-
Title: Re: Make your own parts...
Post by: JUGGARNAUT on July 12, 2008, 09:20:02 PM
one of the benefits of heat treating is to relieve weld tension as a welder myself and im sure you can testify that even a small tack weld pulls when it cools so the process of POST HEAT TREATING IS TO HEAT THE ENTIRE PIECE TO A PREDETERMINED TEMP.LET IT ALL COOL EVENLY BY AIR OR LIQUID METHODS, SO ALL WELD TENSION IS RELIEVED EQUALLY THRU OUT THE PIECE. ;D :beer:
Title: Re: Make your own parts...
Post by: Paradoxium on July 13, 2008, 03:33:39 AM
Looks much nicer!!  :beer:
Title: Re: Make your own parts...
Post by: Dee. on July 13, 2008, 02:56:38 PM
as a welder myself and im sure you can testify that even a small tack weld pulls when it cools so the process of POST HEAT TREATING IS TO HEAT THE ENTIRE PIECE TO A PREDETERMINED TEMP.LET IT ALL COOL EVENLY BY AIR OR LIQUID METHODS, SO ALL WELD TENSION IS RELIEVED EQUALLY THRU OUT THE PIECE. ;D :beer:

Ahhh cheers for that, makes a lot o sense, ive never really needed to look into heat treatment etc doing what i do. Am aware of weld tension you describe, just up end some steel strap on a plate n tack it one side, then watch lean over as it cools! ;D.
Another thing im fuzzy on is how different materials are affected by heat treatment ie changing properties etc as well as stress relief but i really dont know. As someone already said before its possible to lose teeth if a barend snaps!! eeeek.

A tip to anyone looking to paint a sh frame thats in a bad way paintwise is get it sand blasted before you start! much easier than messing about rubbing tubes. Perfect clean base to coat it up from too. Best to use an etching primer on bare metal btw(wear a decent mask in a well ventilated area!!), visit your local paint factor and they should be able to mix a spray can for you if you got no kit.