im thinking about welding my own fr/dj/dh hardtail frame together. does anyone know how thick the tubing usually is. whould triangular tubing work well for the front triangle, exept for the seattube of course, and what would be a good headtube angle to use
making a frame
- Thread starter metallica1049
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I don't want to discourage you from building a frame, but if you are not sure about what shape and thickness of tubing to use maybe you should reconsider your goal. There's a little more to building a frame that making it look burly enough, if you plan on riding it and expect it to be strong enough then you should really do some structural analysis, which will help you decide on what shape and thickness tubing to use. Maybe you could contract a custom frame builder to provide you with a design for a good price with the understanding that you would do the fabrication.
What are you making it out of? I have a friend who builds frames out of steel. To weld aluminum,which is really hard to weld, you need a helioarc.
Triangular tubing might not fit the head tube as well as round tubing. That would be cool though.
howabout custom tubing? triangle shape, bul a circle on the inside, like, a sloid triangle, drilled out, that would be sweet, then even the head ttube could be triangle
Yes, it would look very nice, and that would be all it would be good for considering the frame would weigh about thirty eight pounds.p3rider182 said:
Not to mention that you'd have to have someone draw up these custom tubes, so you'd pay a huge amount of money to have a crappy, heavy frame. And it would be a crappy frame that would hurt you if you ever whacked it with your leg.
But yeah, it'd look sweet...
Columbus tubing specs(.pdf) Page 54 has mega tubes(aero tubing) which are good for downtubes and such.
Tubing supplier
Tubing supplier
I'm sorry, but I wouldn't try to build your own custom frame. It would have to be perfectly built, have a lot of money put into it, and it would still be frekin heavy. And if you don't build it perfectly, and you try a big jump on it... it will probably break 
:nuts:
:nuts:
I hope you have an extremely thorough knowledge of welding. I used to weld steel pipe horse corrals for a living (MIG welders, galvanized steel pipe), and learned that there is a lot more to welding than just getting the metal to stick together or pretty fishscales. Like other folks have said, if you don't get it right you could be setting yourself up for some serious injuries.
Dang it! I just used my four hundred and twentieth post. I shoulda posted in the pot thread in the beer and food forum. :evil:
Dang it! I just used my four hundred and twentieth post. I shoulda posted in the pot thread in the beer and food forum. :evil:
Word. Good place to start.Wumpus said:
I met the guy who made/makes Willits steel frames in Salida Colorado a few years ago. He said he got most of his tubing straight from Reynolds and that they sell kits as well as providing custom drawn stuff frame lugs etc.
If you get a chance to see a Gack frame, you can see the "4130" mill stamping on the tubes, he just puts a finish on them. They look like pretty straight up tubes, not funky shapes or anything. His name is Chris Gack, I'd try to get ahold of him through Gack cylces' website if it's still up. Someone told me he got assimilated into Specialized though. He might be able to provide you with some good info.
In montery I saw some kids at the skatepark when i was skating there. One of them had a gack dj/urban bike. Its kind of heavy compared to aluminum, but its really solid.
If you're asking questions like this, I'd say you're probably not ready to build a frame. Even if you us relatively thin wall steel, you'll end up with AT LEAST a 15lb frame. Triangular tubing is great, but it's only strong in 3 directions. On a bike, the loading comes from multiple directions. You'd have to get the head tube/seat tube/bb shell/drop outs machined, that would be semi-pricey. If you want to build something, build a chopper. It'll still be expensive, heavy, and relatively weak.
Buy a bike.
Buy a bike.
Oh yeah, to weld alum. you need to either TIG it, or buy a spoolgun for your MIG welder.
heres some pics from a company called draco industries. the guy who owns it posts on here actually as draco. this is there fr ht that i ride called the v3 it kicks ass. but many of u have mentioned how heavy 4130 is. the frame isnt to bad its heavy but its not insanely heavy as you all are talkin bout. as you can see if you get a good frame design you dont need any gussets or big tubing.the bikes very strong and i have set it up with a shiver dc for dc and its still goin strong. this is a bike made by a guy who loves bikes and wanted to make high quality frames. i think its doable. you just have ot be a really good welder first
