Berk PROTO-TYPE Composites

Who are you (no off-topic talk please)

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Berk
Carbon Cowboy
Posts: 1100
Joined: Sat Sep 04, 2010 7:20 pm
Location: Slovenia

by Berk

Thanks! :wink:

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Berk
Carbon Cowboy
Posts: 1100
Joined: Sat Sep 04, 2010 7:20 pm
Location: Slovenia

by Berk

Just a few more photos, to keep the topic alive :mrgreen:

Unfortunately I still don't have much free time, but slowly I'll manage to shape the tubes...some of them are still a bit too long, but anyway. I just couldn't resist to take those photos :mrgreen:.
Of course the geometry isn't exact on those photos, I just put it approximative..


Image

The seat-tube is in UD and most probably I'll remove the paint from the 3T fork that is also UD. And of course at the end I'll paint/lacquer it with the same design as on the frame, but still quite a lot of work to do...

Image


Image


Anyway, as soon as I manage to make any progress I'll keep you updated.. I don't have to rush with the build (I ride my sponsor equipment) but I just can't wait that I manage to do some more work on this "WW frame birth" project!

by Weenie


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Tallsopp
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Joined: Thu Feb 10, 2011 4:45 am

by Tallsopp

This looks fantastic, and I cannot wait to see the finished product! Keep us posted!

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mythical
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by mythical

That frame is starting to look really good! I'm curious about the end result! Well done so far! :thumbup: :beerchug:
“I always find it amazing that a material can actually sell a product when it’s really the engineering that creates and dictates how well that material will behave or perform.” — Chuck Teixeira

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Berk
Carbon Cowboy
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by Berk

@Tallsopp & mythical
Thanks! :thumbup:


Just one more photo from all the (rough) tubes for the frame! I already managed to do some more work , but I still have to shape the seatstays and chainstays,... But first I have to make the carbon dropouts. The new mould for them was already made today!

Image

As soon as I make the dropouts I can also cut/shape the seatstays & chainstays, and put all the tubes in the right position. The weight for all the tubes and dropouts will be at the end less than 700g,...
I'll sure keep you updated :wink:

damond
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Joined: Thu Jun 03, 2010 12:47 pm

by damond

absolutely great!!!

"Big Brands" put your attention at this guys...with low budget and time can produce amazing stuff with superior quality!!

Keep with the good work Berk and keep us updated!!!

David

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Berk
Carbon Cowboy
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Location: Slovenia

by Berk

@damond
Thanks :wink:

I have to mention that I use only top-quality materials, the same as Akrapovič uses (akrapovic.com),... I have to thank one important man for those materials here in Slovenia, who is also interested in my projects and is prepared to sell the materials even if I'm not a company and my orders are small (not big money if you compare with some bigger companys) and also for a bit better prices - unfortunately I'm "financial limited", because I'm still very young and just a student. As soon as I'll be able to save some more money I'll start with a new big project, hopefully in summer, otherwise in winter,...And yes, I already constructed my own wheelset :twisted:, as soon as I finish the frame I hope that I'll manage to start with the production of the moulds...but till then, still a lot of work and time..and hope that you'll first enjoy in this project :thumbup:

Probably it is also interesting to hear that there are quite a lot hi-tech companys here in Slovenia like Pipistrel, Elan, Akrapovič, Seaway, etc.,... It would be my dream job to have my own company,...but now I'm a pro cyclist and also a student, and if I'll have some more time in the future it would be really great.

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jet sanchEz
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by jet sanchEz

I like the seat post a lot, do you have a how-to on making one? I have a broken carbon seat post that I think I could modify myself to make something like you have here.

Great work, thanks for sharing.

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Berk
Carbon Cowboy
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by Berk

Thanks!
If you would like to make your own tube you first need to make a good mould. The UD-look was made with a UD carbon fibre sheet that contains also some glass fibres (to hold the carbon fibres in their position), but I put the GF out, so there was quite a lot of work only with the beauty layer of that tube.

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Berk
Carbon Cowboy
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by Berk

Some more news - the dropouts are just out of mould! I still have to shape them and make the grooves etc.,..

And it will be a really nice weight saving. The one from Deda that I used on my second frame were 110g. Those will be only around 35g at the end :thumbup:.

The weight of just one dropout is just under 20g. It is 6mm thick.

Image

Still quite a lot of work to do..here just a quick picture:
Image

Image

After some more work it will look much better. On the photos it is just out of mould, without any work on the surface etc.,..

ricerocket
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by ricerocket

How are you bonding to the seatstays/chainstays?

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Berk
Carbon Cowboy
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by Berk

I bond it with some special mixtures for carbon/carbon and carbon/ALU bonding, and of course with some more carbon fibre. The ends of the dropouts will go 25-30mm in the tube (chainstays/seatstays) where it will be bonded. I made it also like that on my previous frames and everything was perfect. Of course there is still quite a lot of work to do, to make it smooth looking and of course also practical. As soon as I'll be at that point I'll post some more photos to show you how it will be done..probably it's hard to imagine only if I describe it, but you'll see :)

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Berk
Carbon Cowboy
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Joined: Sat Sep 04, 2010 7:20 pm
Location: Slovenia

by Berk

Here just one more crappy picture :lol: just to show you how I made it on my previous frame. The red line shows where the dropout ends are...and of course a lot of reinforcements.

Image

On the PROTO-TYPE 3 frame it will be a bit different, but anyway, hope that this picture tells a bit more..

ricerocket
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Joined: Mon Sep 27, 2010 8:38 am

by ricerocket

That makes sense. How do you ensure a good bond though? Do you have a boss that is bonded inside the tube that's molded around the dropout? Or do you just add a whole lot of epoxy to fill space and hope for the best?

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djconnel
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by djconnel

This is an amazing thread. You're not only doing an excellent job on the fabrication, but also on the documentation, which is even more impressive. Good luck with your latest project.

by Weenie


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