Yes, it's made with pressure, and I make the "balloons" by myself - with foil or rubber.

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Berk PROTO-TYPE Composites - Handmade In Slovenia
Berk Composites

and you never tried to use a latex to build bladder with the same shape of mold?

Yes, I tried also with latex, but prefer foil because it's less complicated and the resoults are still great also with foil. With latex I had some problems because it wasn't that durable.

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Berk PROTO-TYPE Composites - Handmade In Slovenia
Berk Composites

Hi Jure,

After seeing your building method, I suppose that you design the tube shapes and the position of the points of connection between them that allows you not to brek any mould after baking. I mean, you can't build a tube with a smaller diameter along its length than the diameter of the ends of the tube. I don't think that this is very logic, because many frame tubes (downtube e.g) need a bigger diameter in their ends (BB and headtube) to resist the loads and can be an easy way to reduce the frame weight

Moreover, the bottom bracket for example can only be built using union of tubes and considering the importance of this zone of the frame for overall stiffness I think you can use other methods. Have you considered Aquacore? http://www.nfgsales.com/partners/advanc ... s/aquacore" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; You can machine it to your needs and get more complex shapes and a better overall design. It would be a good choice to build the BB zone

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BIKE DESIGN AND +

http://cds-0.blogspot.com/

Hi,
well, most of the tubes are designed "as simple as possible". The toptube is made like you mentioned - on the ends the diameter is a bit larger. I can make it also like that, but didn't made it for the downtube. The downtube is all the way the same, and so is the seattube. I have less problems with the layup and I just want to keep it simple. The chainstays are designed in conus, and the seatstays will be a bit oval..I could sure save some more weight, but not that much that it would make sense for me to change it. I would have a lot more work with the procedure and unfortunately I'm also financial limited.

If I would have some more budged I could sure change quite a lot of things and also use some more expensive methods. First I could make (well, order..) metal moulds etc.,.. But it makes more sense to me if I make most of the things by myself, I really have fun and it's also not that expensive.... If I would like to have all the moulds made with metal it would cost me around 4000 EUR for a frame,...unfortunately I don't have my own CNC and I'm not able to make these moulds by myself, but hopefully someday I'll make also a project like that.
Somehow I still prefer tube-to-tube and that already isn't the lightest method, but you can really make anything you want regarding the geometry, I like the fact that I can make a custom geometry. Parlee, Crumton etc., are making it similar, and I don't think that this method is bad (tube-to-tube). I could really save a few more grams with different design and methods, but as long as I make everything by myself I have to find the right compromise. And in this case it's a project like this, if you know what I mean

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Berk PROTO-TYPE Composites - Handmade In Slovenia
Berk Composites

Berk, when you say "foil" i guess you are talking about nylon bagging film? you use a heat seamer to make a pleated tube from the film?

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www.crumptoncycles.com

Yes, exactly like you said.


By the way, I just laminated also the seatstays and headtube..as soon as I'll put it out of the mould I'll send some photos


P.S. oops, I just saw that in my previous post I wrote "Crumton", I missed the "p",..of course it's Crumpton, sorry!

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Berk PROTO-TYPE Composites - Handmade In Slovenia
Berk Composites

I understand your choices but you should consider this type of mandrels, it's a one-use one but it can allow you to try some more interesting shapes without having to invest in expensive metal moulds and you can shape it the same way that you do for your wood moulds, there is no need of CNC machining. If I ever start building a carbon fiber frame I will try it

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BIKE DESIGN AND +

http://cds-0.blogspot.com/

Sure, thanks for your advices. For every new project I try to use as much new/improved methods as possible, and each advice is helpful.

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Berk PROTO-TYPE Composites - Handmade In Slovenia
Berk Composites

berk do you use pre-peg or wet layup over the mandrel? if wet layup do you use epox with long pot life?

I don't use pre-preg because the storage complications etc.,.. It depends on which epoxy do I use, but most of them have quite long pot life.



Here just one more part for the build






I wanted to sell my LW Standard III, well I already had a buyer, but the things changed and I still have them, and will keep them . I wanted to buy a low profile wheelset (for around 1000EUR), but then I had a quite good chance to get those Ventoux III, and rather saved some more money and get them, and it's a "dream come true" to have those two wheelsets! I'm a lot in our mountains and saw in the past years that the high profile wheelset wasn't always the most "relaxed" choice,...so, what can I say, I'm really a very lucky man

And a bit of my personaly story,...I rode for one of the best continental team (Radenska) here in Slovenia, as a helper:


In the centre - my 64kg and 185cm


Number 124..

..had that great chance to ride on some very good UCI 1.1 races likeGiro Del Friuli, Lagueglia, stage races etc.,..with almost all the protour/proteam teams and it was a really great experiance. Saw what it means to be a pro cyclist. But the conditions in professional cycling unfortunately aren't that good and it's hard to have a "bright future" if you're a helper. It's hard to get in some very good teams and the conditions in Slovenian cycling aren't that good that it would be worth to bet everything on cycling.. Well, when I was a junior and younger I was all the time in our national team, reached some very good resoults (more than 50 podiums in Slovenia, Italy, etc.,..) but as a pro you really have to invest 110% in this sport, so no study here etc.,..It's really a great sport and I would love to live like a pro, but like I mentioned, it's hard to have a "bright future" if you aren't in a very good pro team or a serial winner...it's possible to be a pro race and finish some big races, help your team-mates, but not that easy to live because of that. What I want to say, when you stop cycling, you end without any education, and if you really aren't one of the best it will be hard...I know how it looks when I see my trainer, who was a former pro rider, was on the podium on the world championships, won big races etc.,..after a few conversations I decided to stop racing at this level and rather invest some more time for my education/profession career. What I want to say, he was a great pro, and now works in a bike shop and as a team manager...nothing bad with those jobs, but if possible there can be a bit better future if you study etc.,..and as long as my father is a doctor and my mother a chemist I know what I'm speaking, if you know what I mean. These days it's hard to get a job (at least here in Slovenia), and it would be even harder if you're an 40 years old ex pro, and if you wasn't one of the best...anyway, hope you know what I mean and understand my decision! Some of you probably know very good what I'm talking about.. But, of course, I'm still training as much as possible, it's a way of life! So I'll be sure still all days on my bike (of course if possible and if I'll be in the right mood), and this time it will be a bike that I'll build by myself, and that's one more reason why I invest all the time and passion into this new project. Most of the things already are perfect for me - Sram Red, Ritchey, and now even Lightweigh Ventoux and Standard. What can I say, a dream come true..parts that were paid with some of the money that I earned with cycling..

Sorry for that long post, but probably it's interesting for some of you. Otherwise I started cycling when I was 10 years old, and it's really a way of life for me,..or better said - an addiction, a quite hard one... But hey, now I'm on the bike as much as I want (still a lot ), but can spend also some more time with my girlfriend, who is supporting me already the past 3 years (well, almost 4 now), with my friends, family...the show must go on, and I already have some new aims for the future ...

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Berk PROTO-TYPE Composites - Handmade In Slovenia
Berk Composites

I think you are making a wise decision. I've always been impressed with your maturity. Well beyond your years

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RUEGAMER 5.21kg, 11.48lbs

CRUMPTON 4.40kg, 9.70lbs

I echo what gumgardner said but am reminded of guys like Serge Pauwels as well. There are a few highly educated pro's out there with the same post-cycling ideal of having a significant career to fall back on. Maybe track one of them down and ask how they did it. You have some great talents and its always tough to see someone have to give any of them up.

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The word "Brifter" should be banned.
Casati Vola SLi- viewtopic.php?f=10&t=108931" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

+1

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Wilier Cento Uno
Colnago Master X-light
Wilier 18carati

Thanks!



That's great to hear and I really respect that! I know how it is to study and cycle, and it's sure not easy,...probably it also depends from the school system in different countries, at least here in Slovenia it's not "sport friendly" at all...well it also depends from the University. Altough the teams support education it's in practice a bit different, and it's more a barrier than anything else in the eyes of the team leadership. I don't want to say anything bad about that, but probably you can imagine that it's not nice if you say that you can't go for example to Italy for the next 10 days on a trainingcamp because you'll have some exams, and that you'll train by yourself etc.,..and also regarding the study - I have the highest sport status, and it really doesn't helps a lot so unfortunately it is like it is, and the show must go on



Back to the frame project - here just one more photo from the rough headtube tube:



Also the seatstays are already made (in the left corner on this photo) so I only need to make the dropouts. Right now I'm quite busy but will most probably make some more progress in the next few days...
After some more work on this headtube tube I'll laminate the grooves for the drop-in bearings. I'll make it before I'll glue it together with the frame..


And here just 2 more photos...my dream wheelsets:





Probably some of you are interested for the weigh of those wheelsets.
The weights are without quick releases (43g) and with 10 bars:

LW Ventoux III:
- Continental GP 4000 22mm tubulars
- Dura-Ace 11-27 cassette
- 1788g

LW Standard III:
- Continental Competition 22mm tubulars
- Sram Red 11-28 (will change it for 11-25 or 11-23, don't need 28 at all)
- 1812g


Could save quite a lot of weight if I would change the tubulars, but personaly I prefer Continental and don't really care for those weight differences compared to some crappy tubulars..

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Berk PROTO-TYPE Composites - Handmade In Slovenia
Berk Composites