[dcamp29]

Here it is...

It took me about 35 hours to build, and probably 20 more to set up and prepare to do stuff etc. (yes I am slow). Its my first ever welding project, and it shows. The welds are very sub-par, but that is to be expected. Anyways, I made it out of 4130 straight wall tubing, and whatever scraps I could find in the University of Colorado machine shop. The frame actually turned out to be fairly stiff and straight, although it does have a certain "steel" flex or whatever to it. The frame is otherwise nice and straight as far as I can tell. The bike really likes to run stuff over due to a rearward axle path from the high pivot. The downside is that it pedals horribly even with the roller. Also the roller should be above the pivot, not below so it would pull the wheel into the travel, not extending it (like it does now). Anyways I'm pretty happy the way the bike turned out, it rides like a Downhill bike, and it didn't break on its maiden voyage today. Heres the specs: Geometry: 66-67* head angle, 16.5" chainstay, 45.5" wheelbase and 14" bb height. I spent $130 on tubing and bearings and hardware etc...

Here are some pictures from building and riding...

Trying to ride on ice...

Nice eyes...

Let me know what you think.

 

[SBDownhillRacer]

hows it work looks very cool and plush. Very nice job

 

[spacemanspiff06]

nice work!

 

[bballe336]

Looks awesome. How does it ride?

 

[MOTODH]

Looks great, cool shots too, thought you were floating on water at first

 

[johnbrittain]

nice... lets get some more action shots

 

[biker3]

Word, Dcamp, that looks real good. Are you planning on going to AngelFire?

 

[gangstamaxx]

Thats pretty cool man, do you actually plan on racing and using it for the whole season? Let us know how it holds up and more pictures are always great! Good luck with it and congrats on making it...

 

[julian_dh]

But lets be serious how dose it compare to the 303?

 

[PatBranch]

Thats cool. Who needs a 303 when you can build your own?....

 

[Tetreault]

wow someone has actually bought a 303? crazy! but nice bike BTW i really like it im also making a frame in my welding class

 

[wood-dog]

Very, very nice! Regardless of how it performs or how long it lasts you have done something every single person on this board has drempt of doing..... making THEIR OWN dh frame!

 

[xy9ine]

rad. i love stuff like this. reminds me of junkyard wars. i wish i had a metalwork shop at my disposal.

 

[patineto]

Congratulations D-camp-29

Great first attept, is nothing like riding on your own stuff, as chessy or heavy as it may be is your own blood put into motion

Keep the good work and the great spirit

 

[PatBranch]

Junkyard wars was one of my favorite shows. Is it still on; I haven't seen it in a long time.

 

[MOTODH]

rad. i love stuff like this. reminds me of junkyard wars. i wish i had a metalwork shop at my disposal.

Haha I used to like that show, then it got boring and repetative, o well

I just noticed the 303 in the background, sick

 

[mindlessfr]

wow great work looks sweet, i wish i could mke my own bike. how much travel does it have?

 

[stgil888]

Sweet! Your welds will improve with time. I remember how bad my first welds were, and they were on angle iron, not delicate tubes. Joining tubes is still tricky, but it looks like you did a good job fabricating some jigs to help you. Where did you get the tubing for the job? I've been thinking about building my own frame for a long time--looking to incorporate design and fabrication elements from a bunch of different frames I've seen. I always hesitate because I'm afraid I won't be able to keep the frame straight/keep from melting through thin tubes...etc. Great to see that someone went ahead and did it.

Congrats

 

[dcamp29]

Word, Dcamp, that looks real good. Are you planning on going to AngelFire?

yeah I'm gonna try and be at angelfire.

To answer some more questions- no, I won't be racing this bike anytime soon, I have a Giant Faith that I'll be riding all season. As for this homemade beast, it rides pretty good, tracks decently, and it eats bumps really well, but pedaling performance is bad- it bobs a lot. And no- it doesn't compare to the Yeti 303- at all.
I'll try and get some more action shots- but I haven't had time to ride much lately.

 

[dhdiva2006]

WOW first post...... Great job keep it up!

 

[dexter]

yea dave, now make me a hardtail

 

[dcamp29]

Sweet! Your welds will improve with time. I remember how bad my first welds were, and they were on angle iron, not delicate tubes. Joining tubes is still tricky, but it looks like you did a good job fabricating some jigs to help you. Where did you get the tubing for the job? I've been thinking about building my own frame for a long time--looking to incorporate design and fabrication elements from a bunch of different frames I've seen. I always hesitate because I'm afraid I won't be able to keep the frame straight/keep from melting through thin tubes...etc. Great to see that someone went ahead and did it.

Congrats

yeah- welding on thin tubing was pretty hard- and I used a plasma cutter to miter the tubes and then used a bench grinder to smooth them out so there were a lot of gaps at the joints. Next time I'll use a hole saw notcher- that should make much better miters so I won't have to fill a bunch of big gaps in the tubes and then burn a bunch more holes trying to fill the gaps. Heres the websites I used:
http://www.wicksaircraft.com/catalog/product_cat.php/subid=1185/index.html Tubing
Boltdepot.com
bearingsdirect.com
novacycles.com(for bb shell)

 

[zmtber]

it looks like the wheel has a tight wheel path, by this i mean, like it stays really snug to the bike, it must turn well, but how does it take the square edges (nothing is better at taking square edges then the 303)

 

[zmtber]

very nice work all in all, i have respect for people who build there own stuff, and then has balls enough to test it

 

[sjcX3oldtown]

thats cool u took it into your own hands top build a frame but that linkage/bearing pivot is kinda sketcy ?? but ride till that sucker breaks

 

[Bicyclist]

Did you TIG weld it? I'm assuming you didn't braze it...

 

[Repack]

Thats wicked cool. I want to learn to weld so bad. I've never welded but have already priced out what I would need to build frames

 

[joelsman]

sweet. good job. I would have put the pivot lower myself so I wouldn't need a pulley.

 

[Bicyclist]

sweet. good job. I would have put the pivot lower myself so I wouldn't need a pulley.

But then it wouldn't have a nice wheel path...

 

[Mike Buell]

Dave thats wicked sweet, Your gonna have to let me give it a go.

 

[Haplipe]

yea dave like mike said that is sooo sick, after mikes rides it i have to ride it. Great job on it!

 

[stinkyboy58]

that is sick dude. how much did the frame cost to make??? i think ill try to make one in the future.

 

[TheInedibleHulk]

wow someone has actually bought a 303? crazy! but nice bike BTW i really like it im also making a frame in my welding class

No, thats the lazian's 303, it was free.

 

[DirtyMike]

Badass.... Very nice.......how much travel that have??.... hand whats the stroke on teh shock???

 

[ghettogt76]

That's cool, I really wanna do something like that. And you have the balls to test it, which I probably wouldn't have, LOL.

Welds look a little scary, but it will improve with time. Doesn't look like TIG at all to me (hell, I HOPE it isn't TIG, they'd be even scarier), looks like MIG. What machine did you use? I'd love to build a bike once I get proficient with TIG. I'm about to certify in SMAW, but ummm that might not be too fun trying to weld super thin stuff with an arc welder .

 

[Mattoid]

Props man! Looks like a really killer project. Keep us posted on how it holds up.

 

[bikenweed]

Can you move the pully up to the pivot point? Check out Zedro's home made bike and it's pullies:
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=84284&d=1139358642

 

[seismic]

awesome !!!

 

[neanderthal]

Nice work! If you have an oppurtunity, try tig welding the frame
next time. Once you get the hang of tig welding, it's actually quite
easy and will give you very nice welds on tubing.

 

[Bikerpunk241]

PROPS DAVE!!! As for letting Buell ride it, only if you want it broken