# CNC bike parts?



## malski (Aug 28, 2008)

Hi everybody,

I'm taking a CNC class this quarter in school with a fairly open final project and I wanted to see if I could get some ideas about what to make. I have one 29er frame and a penny farthing under my belt from other classes and I wanted to keep the bike theme alive. 

So here's the question. What would you have CNC'd for a bike? I've thought of headbadges, dropouts, cranks, brake levers, even lugs. Any other ideas out there? I want all your wacky ideas.


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## bobbotron (Nov 28, 2007)

ikswonalam said:


> Hi everybody,
> 
> I'm taking a CNC class this quarter in school with a fairly open final project and I wanted to see if I could get some ideas about what to make. I have one 29er frame and a penny farthing under my belt from other classes and I wanted to keep the bike theme alive.
> 
> So here's the question. What would you have CNC'd for a bike? I've thought of headbadges, dropouts, cranks, brake levers, even lugs. Any other ideas out there? I want all your wacky ideas.


It would be interesting to make your own:

* friction shifters, or better yet, indexed thumb shifters. Or indexed bar end shifters for a nexus/alfine hub.

* (probably the hardest to do, but biggest awesome points) make your own drop bar levers, that work with hydraulic brakes

* chainring

* serial number patch, in brass, copper or stainless, and braze/epoxy it onto the bike somewhere

* custom cable guides/stops/water bottle mounts

* custom head tube/BB reinforcement rings


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## davesauvageau (Jan 8, 2010)

S&S couplers
Stem
Headset
Pedals


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## FoCo29er (Dec 5, 2010)

I think i would stay away from a stem...seems like thats a good thing to buy from someone with more experience


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## mitzikatzi (Sep 9, 2008)

> * (probably the hardest to do, but biggest awesome points) make your own drop bar levers, that work with hydraulic brakes


+1 good idea


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## dr.welby (Jan 6, 2004)

Paddle shifters for the Rohloff hub.


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## customfab (Jun 8, 2008)

FoCo29er said:



> I think i would stay away from a stem...seems like thats a good thing to buy from someone with more experience


and something that is better off forged than machined


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## pyranha (Aug 7, 2007)

If you have not already, you might want to take a look at what Paragon does. http://www.paragonmachineworks.com/

I am not advocating copying their parts, but you can get an idea of what one of the better small parts companies make.


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## buildyourown (Dec 1, 2004)

I'm a machinist for a living and I can recall taking a similar class with a final project. Mine ended up being scrap, because I didn't know what I didn't know. Remember, you rarely learn from success.

Stem isn't a bad idea, if you simply copied another one for the design. 
Stay away from really hard stuff that will require custom or expensive tools. Carbide isn't cheap. S&S coupling is a horrible idea from that stand point. 

I'm assuming you're doing this on a 3 axis vertical, so that limits what you can do. What software you have and the programming skill is also a factor. You won't be making headtube badges is Bobcad.
Pick something with only one part. A shifter would be near impossible. I have made prototype shifters for one of the biggest drivetrain companies and they took hundreds of hours on million dollar machines.

Dropouts would be good. Disc tabs are good. 

A custom dropout out of SS would be hard enough to challenge you.


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## Hay Ewe (Jan 3, 2008)

spare rear derailer hangar
Hay Ewe


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## zahgurim (Aug 12, 2005)

Stuff that should be relatively easy, and end up as parts on a future build:

-Custom headtube. To fit tapered steerer? 
-BB shell. With integrated ISCG tabs.
-Sliding dropouts.
-seatsay and chainstay/BB yokes could be interesting


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## fanzy4 (Aug 19, 2004)

LED bike-lights housings. There's lot of ideas in the lights DIY section. Any aluminum will be OK, without any risk of braking like with a stem or crankset...


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## malski (Aug 28, 2008)

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll be using solidworks and gibbsCAM since that's what I know and what the school supplies for free. Right now I'm unfortunately not sure if I'll have a chance to build another frame in the near future so I'm thinking dropouts might not be the greatest idea. I'm looking more for creative accessories. Maybe I could even pull off a sweet fork crown and dropouts for my 29er to go rigid. Or a new hub or brake for the penny farthing. 
I still have a little time to figure it out so keep letting me know what you guys think and I'm sure I'll have more questions along the way.


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## TimT (Jan 1, 2004)

If you have Solid Works and Gibbs and depending on what type of machines you have access to.........Build some linkages for a FS frame.Go big or go home. Seriously drop outs are easy, any first year apprentice can do that. 

Tim


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## TigWorld (Feb 8, 2010)

If you're after your maximum educational bang for buck out of the whole experience, do a set of cranks + bb + chainrings. It will give you exposure to CNC milling, lathe and potentially laser/water jet cutting. Component failure of a crankset is also less likely to land you in hospital.


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## jay_ntwr (Feb 15, 2008)

ikswonalam said:


> Or a new hub or brake for the penny farthing.


This is what I'd do for sure.... Make a set of *****in' hubs (probably need to be single speed on the rear or you may get way over your head fast) and they'll be something you can use forever. Make them extra duty instead of weight weenie and you'll appreciate them more in 10 years when they still work. If'n you were really smart, you'd call old Phil Wood up and buy some bearings from him. If all this sounds genius and you wish to thank me, I'll send you some aluminum hunks and you can make me a set too.


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## bobbotron (Nov 28, 2007)

fanzy4 said:


> LED bike-lights housings. There's lot of ideas in the lights DIY section. Any aluminum will be OK, without any risk of braking like with a stem or crankset...


This is a fine idea!


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## digitalayon (Jul 31, 2007)

heh.....make a set of brake levers like old school tech lite


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## malski (Aug 28, 2008)

wow. too many good ideas. Right now I'm leaning toward a custom fork crown so I can build up a rigid front end for the 29er. That seems like something I could get real creative and designy with. A SS hub is tempting too though. I'd love a custom FS rig but I know there'd be a good chance I'd fail the rest of my classes while I try to think up my own linkage, compute axle paths, leverage ratios, work out the FEM, etc. I'd like to graduate almost as much as I'd like a custom FS.


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## Cracked Headtube (Apr 16, 2006)

Try programming this:


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## damnitman (Jan 30, 2008)

How bout a replacement crown and bridge to allow an existing sus fork to work with >80 mm rims? Lots of fatbike riders out there with no single crown alternatives...


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