Sounds very good!!!!

//Ulf L.

MTB frame I'm in

Chris.

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MSC Koncept Carbon Di2 - 6955g
Leichtkraft Team Carbon - 6868g.

@gumgardner, MrIzoard, krzysiekmz




Hope that it'll be possible, I'm already working on that and will see what will be the best.. I have more options - to get the tubes here, maybe even from ENVE etc., or at last I can also order some metal moulds and make all the stuff by myself. That would be the way that I would like the most, to make it completely by myself it would take some more time etc.,..will see what will be the best..


Otherwise I have some news from the PT4 project.

I made new seatstays, this time even 2mm thinner - you can see the wider side of the tube:



And also experimented a bit with the headtube. I made an experimental headtube with the groove for the drop-in bearing, and it turned out great! It's moulded in the headtube tube.

Here is the headtube that I'll use for the frame. You can see that it's for tapered fork:



I already posted the models/moulds for the bearing groove. Here just to show you how I'll use it:


And the resoult on an experimental headtube - pretty much perfec! And less than 4g of extra weight with the moulded groove:





I'm already thinking that maybe I'll go for the most WW option, without the internal routing. This year I'll experiment even more with those projects, and it will be a prototype frame that I'll really use for everyday ride.. I already laminated a new downtube without the integrated cable-stops and this time it's perfect. Will make also the toptube like that,..it's also better if I make it without the internal routing for the structure, altough the internal routing is very clean looking and nice,..but, I'll use it as a part of the development, and my aim is to make the best light and stiff frame. And if I really want to make it light, then it's lighter without the internal routing,..anyway, will think about that..but I'll make this frame a bit stiffer than PT3, that it will be a really stiff frame like I want to have it. The PT3 is already quite stiff, but I really prefer to have a super stiff frame, and will for sure experiment with some even lighter frames with different layup etc. later this year.

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Berk PROTO-TYPE Composites - Handmade In Slovenia
Berk Composites

Function over form - great idea

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"Stay cool and try to survive" A. Klier to the other members of the Garmin classics squad the night before P-R.

Very nice head tube. The molded bearing grooves look great and will definitely be an aesthetic improvement over your PT3 frame. Probably save some weight in the headset this way too?

Agree on the internal routing, especially for a lightweight road frame. Seems like more trouble than it's worth especially if it adds weight. An aero frame... perhaps a different story.

@Kastrup, billspreston


Thanks!

Yes, it will also save some weight, already the bearings are almost 20g lighter.
I'll make it without internal routing this time. It will save some weight and will also be less complicated for instalation etc.,..and about going aero - for a TT/aero frame it would make sense, but the differences are really small and I don't really care about aero in that case...the position is still the most important

Here just one photo from the new seatstays:


Now I "only" have to shape the dropouts and the tubes and I'll start with the best part! Can't wait, will keep you updated

By the way - I already made a new toptube and downtube (like I mentioned the first attempt failed because some air voids around the integrated cable stop)

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Berk PROTO-TYPE Composites - Handmade In Slovenia
Berk Composites

Hello Jure,
I have one question about seatpost and saddle combos You make. Does seatpost also have variable thickness and recomended clamping zone as for example Schmolke or AX? Or is thickness constant, so it does not matter how much you insert it into the frame? Do you have any idea how much weight can be saved by making seatpost with variable thickness compared to constant thickness seatpost?

I'm just curious

Hi,
yes, the thickness isn't constant. But I rather make it with a quite wide clamping area and it's thinner at the end of the seatpost and at the top. Between that the thickness is gradualy thicker/thinner.

As soon as I'll have some more time I'll make a proto-type combo with a new layup, should be even lighter but don't know yet how it will perform. Now I'm working only with the nano materials because they are better compared to the "standard" materials. Otherwise till now not even one combo broke, but there is a case where it was a bit damaged at the clamping area - not cracked, but somehow the "beauty layer" separated from the rest of the layup, don't know exactly why, but I'll make a research on that and try to prevent those damages. For a lightweight product like that you really have to be on the limit, and if I would make the tube thickness constant it would add around 15g, so quite nice weight savings there.


Otherwise I also have a small update regarding the frame - in the past days I managed to shape the tubes for the front triangle, will post some photos as soon as possible, unfortunately I'm not a lot at home these days

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Berk PROTO-TYPE Composites - Handmade In Slovenia
Berk Composites

And this is making for some great down-time reading. Well done Berk.

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Baum Ristretto, Baum Mondrian Corretto & the '89 Merckx! | "If you could eat it in one sitting, hold your line." | twitter.com/Tinea_Pedis

Thanks!!

Here just one photo from the front triangle - just put together to show you how it should look:



I decided that this time I'll go without the internal routing. After some problems with the first version of the toptube and downtube (air voids etc.) I made some "simple tubes" without the integrated cable stops etc.,..and at the end I have less complications with the procedure, a lighter product and also the structure is better without the cable grooves

Just one more photo to show you how it will look once I'll shape also the rest of the tubes:




By the way, just saw my new status above the avatar image

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Berk PROTO-TYPE Composites - Handmade In Slovenia
Berk Composites

damn, i've been following this thread for a long time - finally thought i'd pop in and say when, not if, you start making frames for production... i'll for sure be buying one

knowing the amount of care you put into design is simply ridiculous and the prototype frames all show it.

@thegunner
Thanks, I'm glad you like it! I really enjoy building frames, really love this work

After I finish this frame I'll make some metal moulds if possible, will see..then I could make a frame for testing etc.,..and it would be a dream come true if I'll manage to build custom frames some day. I really love this work, even more than some other custom projects like combos etc.,..while building a frame you can really make like you want it, and that's the thing that I like the most!

This year I'll work more on my own projects and frames, and maybe I'll be able to make custom frames even next year, of course if anybody would be interested in my work. But first I would of course test a frame. I'm in contact with some companies where they could make me some tubes, but when I think a bit better about that - I wan't that the frame is made completely by myself! It would take me some more time to make a frame, but I think that with that way it would have "the right soul"...then I could also make custom layup, beauty look, reinforcements,...don't know if there is any custom framebuilder who makes also his own tubes...in some way I don't like to work with tubes that I were just bought, don't know, in my opinion there isn't "the right passion" if you know what I mean.
Anyway, in the past few days I already worked on that, and rather than ordering the tubes I'll rather order some really good moulds and make the tubes by myself. Had also some meetings but will probably make it completely by my own, will see! I'll keep you updated also about that

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Berk PROTO-TYPE Composites - Handmade In Slovenia
Berk Composites

A small update - just glued together the front tirangle of the frame,...


I used also Araldite 2011 (black), the one on photo (2029) is grey...

If everything will be ok I'll glue then also the seatstays, chainstays and the dropouts. Hard to say when because I don't have a lot of free time, but hope that I'll have this frame in one piece even this month...will keep you updated.

Otherwise I'm working also on some more custom projects and as soon as I'll have some photos from the finished products I'll post some photos. I also ordered some new metal moulds and should get them in the next few days...anyway, quite a lot of things are going on here...

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Berk PROTO-TYPE Composites - Handmade In Slovenia
Berk Composites

And what are the medal molds for, custom frame tubing?

Yes, first I'll again make some experiments, I'm also working on the design - quite the same as for this frame (a lot of work to draw all the details) and as soon as I'll have some more $$ I'll go for a project like that. It's relatively expensive, but won't rush with that, because I can't .

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Berk PROTO-TYPE Composites - Handmade In Slovenia
Berk Composites