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Bikes
Become a Shareholder
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Institute Mission
Promote the Teaching and Learning of Metallurgical Arts
Produce Odd Bikes
Have Fun While Engaged in the Above!
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Dangerous Curves Ahead – Bomb
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Bomb - I'm delighted to say, rides like a bike. The shakedown cruise was 50 miles.
Our model is the delightful Leigh Squire. “Leigh as in Bruce Lee, as in kick you ass Lee. You got that Shawn?” More Pictures of Leigh
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A Mild Caution Sign
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Derailleur Hanger
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Something A Little Different
This is the first Institute bike that is not based on someone else’s design.
I learned on Cargo Cult; a long bike = wobbles. A three pipe truss that is all triangled up should go a long way to stabilization. Plus, Bomb will act as a proof of concept for the next bike, Arc.
Bomb Stats:
Wheelbase: 8.5 feet
Overall Length: 11 feet
Weight: Don’t know, don’t wanna know. I’ve gotta ride this thing up hill!
Longest Trip to Date: 50 miles
Ride: Like a Bike
Purpose: CROWD PLEASER!
Favorite Comments So Far:
- Wow, Faggot!
- Jesus Gravity...
- Hey, weird bike guy, do you have a website? - Do you understand English?
High praise from Colin of Haulin' Colin, “It shifts like it’s supposed to.”
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A North End Favorite
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Bending Tube and Getting Your Truss On
I said I wanted a learning curve. DANG! Bending narrow walled tube is it!
Hammering tube into a form didn’t quite work out. I was on the verge of going to a commercial tube bending shop when I stumbled on Hal Eckhart’s MetalGeek blog on bending tube by hand. A wealth of information. Suddenly I’m up to my neck in routers, trammels and mandrels.
Fitting struts into a curved, collapsing three bar truss went beyond notch cutting. Lots of hand filing. In fact, towards the end, I stopped using the notch cutter and just when at it with a file. I could knock out a tube, mitered at both ends, it about 30 minutes.
The filing, fitting and welding just about cured me of my truss lust. I was very glad to finish the top part of the project. Of course, then I had to figure out how to attach the bike bits!
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Putting my back into a bend on 1" tube. Grunt!
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The Virtual Layout Table
A complete accident of geography and funky construction, the institute has NO LEVEL SUFACES. This includes the two work benches I’ve thrown up. Not to mention that the Bomb frame is 4/5ths the length of the entire work space. Bottom bracket to rear dropout alignment is critical, how am I going to:
- Get the top frame, down tubes, bottom bracket and rear drops in place
- Align them
- Hold them in pace for welding
The first piece of the puzzle was a birthday gift from my wife. A laser plumbob.
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The lovely and courageous Kristin Sanderson Barker, first woman to ride Bomb!
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At the Dead Baby Race, Pasha, riding his very ingenious arc truss, front suspended bike under Bomb. The Ringleader is Segue Fischlin, queen of the electric-assist, cargo hauling, Frankentrikes.
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Flame Effect
Down at Burning Man, everyone and their dog has a flame effect on their tricycle, art car, rolling stupa, whatever. With the appropriate safety features, like a tilt switch, why not put an accumulator style flame effect on a two wheel bike?
IMPORTANT DISTINCTION A flame effect is not a flame thrower! A fame effect lights a puff of flammable gas (as in gaseous state), usually propane. Directed to the sky, no one and no property gets hurt. A flame thrower directs a stream of flammable liquid, usually designed to stick to its victim. Not fun for anyone involved.
Whenever I talk about putting a flame effect on a bike, Institute shareholders want to run for the hills. But with a couple of classes from Ian and the crew at Interpative Arson (you’ve got to check out their instillation Dance Dance Immolation!!!), safe accumulator style flame effects ain’t such a big deal.
More to come.
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