I have a frame by PiR made with closed dropouts. While I agree its a neat idea it is as many said already, it is a limitation on what coasters you can use. I have a femaled nankai that I had machined, but most people aren't gonna spend the time to get custom made axles just so they can use it with a specific frame. I got it for the sheer novelty and while I think its neat, its really not needed. If this is going to be a mass produced frame gotta give it full options rather than limiting it with only closed dropouts.Also why did you decide to go with a mid bb instead of spanish?
Sorry but that sucks and you will loose interest as people will like your frame have the money to buy it but wont as they dont want to get a female freecoaster.Why give people the choice in brakes or no brakes but they can only use a certain freecoaster???
Josh,I never want to discourage anyone who is interested in cycle design and looking to create.However, by your drawings and questions regarding market feedback - I think you are currently jumping the gun with your abilities and understanding of design (at the moment). I am not saying you cant do it, but I can see areas where I think it shows an infancy in your understanding. And that if you ever did choose this as a profession in the future, and were to look back at "past work" - you would be able to see this too.
Predicting the future in regards to what parts riders will use is obviously important, especially when thinking along the lines of frame design. But if you are simply planning to go to Standard Byke co. and say, build me this frame and I will re-decal and re-brand them to create my own "company" - I fear you are doomed to fail from the start. As many frame builders like standard have key aspects/detailing to their frames which are often small forms of design signatures if you will. Partially relating to "style" - but also much of the time relating to making life simpler for the builder and reducing cost.
Previously I had asked if you could upload a 2D blueprint, so I could get an idea of to what degree of detailing and information you were planning to send the builder, as this is extremely important. This is not just a drawing that shows TT measurements, but also key other information like tube thickness, angles and so on.Normally a frame blueprint n 2D usually looks something along the lines of this :http://www.spanner.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/tibridedrawing.JPGIf you have something I like this, I would love to have a look over it and help give advice in areas I may be able to.
Again, I really dont want to discourage you and will even go as far to try and help you get a better understanding of areas I think you are lacking. But I really think you are focusing to much on global feedback and not on design. So I would strongly suggest that you now reduce your reliance on customer feedback as you have enough of that, and focus more on the design aspects to see if you and your friends can think of new ideas as this is what really gets people excited as it leads to a product with the marketing power of being able to offer something that is different, and not the same old thing but with a 1/4" longer or shorter somewhere.
enclosed dropouts might work for street/ park bikes but for flatland? ... not many people i know off would do grinds on a flat-specific bike as it's 1) too twitchy; 2) voids warrenty; 3) too weak and light to endear confidence. if you said the enclosed dropouts were meant to prevent the slots from spreading open, i'll buy that as i've seen that happening with paper thin, machined internally dropouts that you find on new bikes. have drop out slots horizontally, but enclosed? with stamped cut away lines for 14mm and 10mm of course. female hubs might be all the rage, but till you suffer the anguish of have a broken bolt or rounded-off hex-head that is stuck in the hub that is still on the frame, you will never appreciate the beautiful simplicity of the standard 'normal' axle. just imagining having to use a sabre saw or hack saw to cut through the harden-steel of 22mm sized lock nuts to get to the 10mm bolt, with the wheel on one side and peg on the other gives me the shivers... and remember as the dropout is enclosed, you can't use a mallet to bash the wheel out like you would with a 'normal' sloted dropout and male axle.
byke you're such a dream crusher.
Did someone just as Byke what his credentials in frame building were?Hilarious.
Quote from: thestraw on September 12, 2012, 02:53:06 AMi rode a st martin, a mankind alive and a quamen chyphyr, all of which are narrow diamond frames(which i do like the look of) and i broke the sh*t out of each of 'em in the exact same place, near the head tube. the down tubes buckled on 2 of them and the tt on the quamen. would a gusset eliminate this problem?For them possibly. How & who these frames will be built by and the type of material will not require gussets but the strength problem with those frames in those particular areas will be discussed.What were you doing when those broke? And the down tube buckled on 2 of em?! WOW.
i rode a st martin, a mankind alive and a quamen chyphyr, all of which are narrow diamond frames(which i do like the look of) and i broke the sh*t out of each of 'em in the exact same place, near the head tube. the down tubes buckled on 2 of them and the tt on the quamen. would a gusset eliminate this problem?