i think we have all been inspired by Berk ...

[SDP]

& this thread viewtopic.php?f=10&t=80684

it would be great if he could build us all a prototype...tbh WW was getting a bit stale but GUM's Crumpton & this has got me hooked again ..

anyway i was thinking a lot of us would like to have some "Berk" composites on our humble bikes & also support this guy as he tries to make his way in the pro cycling peleton

Berk, how about making a batch of top caps & bolts & selling them etc at a "fair profit" so you can use the proceeds to help your career or use on developing more composite prototypes

i know that id buy a couple to help you & be proud to swap my extralite topcaps for these ..we could all who bought them have some early BERK COMPOSITE products..im sure you have a great composite career after your racing days are over ...

[sugarkane]

i"m a berk owner. i'd love a matching top cap.. as long as it wasn't flat like the fiber lite ones. i have one of those some where but its too ugly to use..
i did ask Jure about another small part but he's been very busy of late

how about a post your burk combo thread. there are a number of them out there now..

[Berk]

Hi,

well, what can I say , I'm really honored to read something like this!

First of all really thanks for all the support, from all you guys here!
Thanks to some of you I already made some custom made projects - a few saddle/seatpost combos. I'm really glad that some of you like my work and my prototype products. I really love this work and have great fun making carbon bicycle parts.

As some of you already read in my topic I really love cycling, and also had a great chance to ride on some great races with some great teams etc.,.. I'm still very young (I'll be 20 in a few months) and I already had some hard decisions regarding my cycling career. After quite a lot of conversations and because the circumstances I decided that it's more important to be educated these days than ride as a pro, unless you're really talented and able to ride for some really great teams. Unfortunately I don't race anymore on that level. Although I was in our national team in the past 5 years and managed to reach some really nice resoults as a junior etc., that's not enough for a "bright future" in cycling. In the past season I raced as a pro and of course all that time I also educated...finished gymnasium without any bigger problems and now I'm a student, and if you want to study it's really hard to be a pro... You have to be 110% to be a pro cyclist, and after a long time thinking about that I decided to invest some more time also for other things and work on my "new" future. I was a helper and it was really great, but it would be hard to live as a cyclist like that, because there are aslo some hard times in cycling, a lot of friends lost their teams for 2012 season etc.,..and it helps A LOT if you're educated, or at least, already have some other conections to get a job etc.,.. I know what I'm speaking, my father is a doctor and my mother a chemist, and it's sure much better (and also more healthy) for the future to have a job like that, and not just cycle till the age of 35 for a ordinary salary, and then what..? If you know what I mean .
Otherwise of course I still cyle quite a lot (well, not that much as last year, till today a bit less than 3000km from February...) but still almost every day if I have enough time. It's a "must be" to go on the bike for 2h per day . Already wrote about my private life a bit in my topic, so just have a look there . It's already a quite "old" topic, and you can see the steps of making my 3rd and 4th PROTO-TYPE frame.

Here is my latest frame, called Berk PT4-NANO
(PT = PROTO-TYPE)



I'm really working on some new bigger projects, and hopefully some day I'll really have my own small company. I'm most interested in making custom made frames. Don't know why, but I like that work the most, and probably it would be really nice if i would share my passion with others.
For the previous prototypes I made all the moulds by myself, because it was cheaper. But of course not that precise like if I would make metal moulds. But here is the problem - the finances for it. I started from the start, with the money that I earned with cycling when I was younger and also with a stipendium that I get as one of the perspective students (3% of the students with best resoults in primary school get that stipendum here in Slovenia), well, and I had that luck that I get it,...and I was able to invest some money for my hobby. First I started with rockets - I made rocket housing and rocket fuel all by myself. Together with a friend of mine we developed our own fuel and participated in a contest for the best young Slovenian scientists..and our research was the best and we get that award ..but after that we had some problems because all the chemicals that we had..and..wel...had some problems with the police unfortunately terrorism striked at that time quite often and we rather stopped with that. And I started with carbon composites. I was all that time a cyclist and of course started with some bicycle parts made by myself.

And in all those years I learned a lot, improved my skills etc., meet some really nice persons that work with composites etc.,..and now I'm on a level where I dare to say that I'm able to make some nice parts. The money that I earned with some of my parts and with cycling is for those projects, and my new dream - to make the ultimate custom made frame.

I decided that I'll go for it and started with the work. I'll design all the parts in SolidWorks and then make metal moulds for the tubing. Here just one symbolic photo, of course still a lot of work to do..




It's of course expensive, but I'll go for it! I think that I just can't stop at this stage, and will continue with my work. Probably won't be able to order those moulds soon, but I'll for sure go for it and it's a project for the future. And I'm really glad that some of you like my work and I'll for sure keep you updated in my topic: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=80684&start=585


Hope that I didn't wrote too much, once again, thanks to all!!

[Calnago]

That's a great story Berk. I've enjoyed your threads and you seem so much wiser than your years might indicate. I'm sure you have a very bright future ahead of you, regardless of which paths you follow.

[gitsome]

Berk, you sound like one fascinating and dynamic dude! Keep on doing it and keep on posting you will surely make a name for yourself here and I think you will deserve it!

And always be sure to post PICS!!

[dereksmalls]

Yeah your thread is pretty inspirational about following a dream and a passion Jure without a doubt! If you did want to go down the original idea suggested of a signature Berk/WW top cap etc, I'd been in for sure.

[Berk]

Thanks for the compliments and support guys!

@Calnago
Thanks!

@gitsome
Hehe yes, I always have to work on something,...I just can't be passive, it's boring
I'll for sure keep you updated in my topic! Will try to make as much photos as possible, also during the procedure of the moulds once they'll be in process etc.,.

@dereksmalls
Thanks! That idea is really nice and probably I could really design my own top caps etc.,..probably even some seatpost clamps or something similar? Will think about that