Hey guys,

I'm an avid follower of the forum but haven't posted before.

I hope you don't me mind me asking for a brainstorm.....if anything comes of it we can use forum members for testing

Let's say I was a highly skilled composites engineer with many years of high end experience in the aerospace industry an was looking to diversify my research what would you focus on?

What's being done with carbon that could be done better?
What are the common gripes with carbon technology? Anything that needs a fix?
Is there anything that you'd like to see developed from composites that has not yet been done?

I would be an avid racing cyclist and have some ideas but would like to see what people think. I'd like something road legal or that could be passed road legal so whacky concept frames or the likes are out.

Thanks in advance

M

I would like an integrated bar/stem combination with an integrated computer in the stem please.
Probably not that difficult to make though.

carbon crankset with carbon axle

Carbon crankset with a carbon axle and integrated chainrings. Example would be the newest Hollowgram crank, but in carbon.

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A barflyesque garmin mount.

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Hi,



Ah, Kuota had a superb integrated bar and stem called Viking. One had a superb computer mont nicely integrated into the design (not sure if they ever marketed it though) the other one had a kind of perch style mount.

I still have two of those on bikes. Not that super light by todays standards, stripped of its clearcoat, screws and computer mount my 400 x 100 one hits the scales at 330g tops.

Either way, yeah I'd like to see more intergated bars and stems as they make such a lovely cockpit.
They should be light than their separate parts but they rarely are so there may lbe a challenge for the composites engineer.
I also value design quite a lot. No point in making ugly looking stuff, right?



A bit more challenging but doable IMO would be a downtube with a semi-integrated bottle cage. I find most bottle cages nice looking until you actually put them on a bike where they tend to stand out like a sore thumb.

Ciao,

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Being a snob is an expensive hobby.

I would love to see a lightweight integrated handlebar/stem combo that would rival the combination of something like an AX Lightness or Nora stem and THM/AX handlbars. I love the look of the integrated pieces that guys like Appleman and Calfee do but they are still heavy!!

Berk does great saddle/post combinations and this could be a great thing if the weight was low enough and stiffness better than the existing combinations available.

Also, a carbon cassette - I have seen them before but unable to attain...there are readily available carbon chainrings but cassettes no where to be found

Here's some ideas:

Fix braking on carbon wheels.
A carbon fork that hides a standard brake and is easy to work on.
A carbon seatpost with integrated tail light and Di2 battery mount
Handlebar/Stem with intergated headlights
A modern beam bike frameset
A modern version of the Lotus frameset

Oh yeah, Garmin mounts too.

Hi,

To add to the list of daft ideas:

Hybrid ceramic bearings with UD carbon DLC coated races. That would make them a lot lighter and virtually frictionless.

Carbon fibre bolts.

Lighter than current plastic bottles made of CF. Not sure that's feasable....

Truly affordable, light and stiff brakes.

Someone willing to set up a business making custom (as in made for you, the customer and not for a non-existing imaginary bottom) carbon fibre saddles.

A light SMP clone would be a good start.....

A handlebar tape made of true CF cloth iso the faux carbon stuff that's actually lighter than or as light as current and comfy stuff. (Told you this is the daft idea list, did I?)

A carbon fibre anti-gravity device so I for once can reach the top of that mole hill without killing myself.....(scrap this idea)

Addendum: a range of carbon rims that are steellike flexible in the vertical plane but ueber-stiff laterally would be nice too. Maybe a dot of basalt fibre in the mix?
Bottomline being most rims just don't filter out any road buzz out, they just tend to induce rider fatigue for no good reason.
One could expand on this to include frame and other peripherals especially at the points of contact areas (handlebar-seat- and to a lesser extent pedals). A frame that could truly break up and filter out resonant spikes may help as well but I think it's more reasonable to look at the above mentioned points of contact first.
After all Newton's first law never stated the reaction to the action has to be immediate and hurt you so if we could smear the impact of that pothole out in time....

Ciao,

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Being a snob is an expensive hobby.

Thanks for the feedback everybody.

Great ideas..keep them coming.

Mouldable carbon saddles a runner
Already looking into braking issues
Cassettes and Crankset/axle will get a look also
Handlebars with integration and lighter than the sum of all parts would be a nice one also.

All ideas are great to be honest. Some great in theory...some more practical but thanks to everybody for the replies.

A brake. One with no pivots, only flexures. Compatible with standard center bolt mounting, or maybe the two bolt/pivot arrangement that the Shiv has. Cable, and maybe a hydro version.
Headset spacers with a rough outer twill weave (i may be the only buyer for that), headset spacer that is a completely open lattice, or cobweb look. hell, make a stem like that. If that weighs more, it's ok (OMG!), it would be just for style points.

This is a great idea!

all i want is a superlight monocoque carbon mechanical disc caliper, similar in function to that new alloy one that has a U-shaped lever and articulates both sides equally.
and integrated into the left fork leg (front) and left chainstay (rear) for even lighter weight.

Actually carbon stems are typically pretty heavy (short of the AX THM types). The super light ones are alu. In addition most integrated bars try hard to have some aero effect or cable tucking function, which add weight. I bet 3T could make a combo 20g lighter than their LTD stem and bar.

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