An exemplary press release! They worked in all the best
buzzwords-
World First
3D printed
Carbon
Downhill
Suspension

https://cyclingindustry.news/world-first-3d-printed-carbon-fibre-dh-bike-revealed/
--
Andrew Muzi
<www.yellowjersey.org/>
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

On Fri, 17 Mar 2023 08:50:23 -0500, AMuzi <am@yellowjersey.org> wrote:

>An exemplary press release! They worked in all the best
>buzzwords-
>World First
>3D printed
>Carbon
>Downhill
>Suspension
>
>https://cyclingindustry.news/world-first-3d-printed-carbon-fibre-dh-bike-revealed/

They left a the high fashion buzzword. AI (artificial intelligence).
It's difficult to make or sell anything today without also claiming
that AI was somehow involved.
<https://duckduckgo.com/?q=AI+bicycle&t=h_&ia=web>
Not to worry. The overuse of AI will quickly decline, to be replaced
by something worse.

--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
PO Box 272 http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Ben Lomond CA 95005-0272
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

On 3/17/2023 9:50 AM, AMuzi wrote:
> An exemplary press release! They worked in all the best buzzwords-
> World First
> 3D printed
> Carbon
> Downhill
> Suspension
>
> https://cyclingindustry.news/world-first-3d-printed-carbon-fibre-dh-bike-revealed/

I'm curious about details on the technique. If "carbon" means chopped
fibers in a plastic matrix, they're not using the potential of carbon
fiber very well. And any other form of robotically laying down long
fiber strands wouldn't seem to qualify as "printing."

But overall, we're into almost Star Wars levels of technology to achieve
ever diminishing returns.

--
- Frank Krygowski

On Friday, March 17, 2023 at 6:50:25 AM UTC-7, AMuzi wrote:
> An exemplary press release! They worked in all the best
> buzzwords-
> World First
> 3D printed
> Carbon
> Downhill
> Suspension
>
> https://cyclingindustry.news/world-first-3d-printed-carbon-fibre-dh-bike-revealed/

What they didn't work in: Who gives a shit? I had almost stopped having fun riding carbon fibers bikes, trying to beat personal bests, (Man with bad lungs records FTP of 300 watts). I bought an aluminum alpha Trek that looked and rode MUCH better than the CF version and from there returned to steel and at that point the fun was back. I didn't have to worry about a CF failure. The WEIGHT was only a lb or so different from the CF bikes - even the top end ones. OK, the SAME weight as a Madone and a new Emonda, but a lb and a half heavier than a Look KG585. So now I don't have to worry about catastrophic failures of a frame or fork. And I can just RIDE.
On the Tomassini I made an 8 mph one bike length U-turn on a bike path and missed the three steel poles there to keep cars off of the pathway. I suppose that aluminum bikes are the same way but most of them have carbon fiber forks in order to save 100 grams over and aluminum version. I finally found an 1 1/8" all aluminum fork and it works very well. I have just ordered an all aluminum fork for the Fondriest which uses a 1 inch steering shaft.

So why would I ever want a carbon fiber bike of a huge power losing internal gear drive rather than a double front ring set? Now that they've gone the limits they stupidly believe that they can sell people on nothing more than "different".

Frank Krygowski <frkrygow@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> On 3/17/2023 9:50 AM, AMuzi wrote:
>> An exemplary press release! They worked in all the best buzzwords-
>> World First
>> 3D printed
>> Carbon
>> Downhill
>> Suspension
>>
>> https://cyclingindustry.news/world-first-3d-printed-carbon-fibre-dh-bike-revealed/
>
> I'm curious about details on the technique. If "carbon" means chopped
> fibers in a plastic matrix, they're not using the potential of carbon
> fiber very well. And any other form of robotically laying down long
> fiber strands wouldn't seem to qualify as "printing."
>
> But overall, we're into almost Star Wars levels of technology to achieve
> ever diminishing returns.
>

I’m told that printing allows some better shapes and so on, guess have to
see how it pans out!

Roger Merriman

On Friday, March 17, 2023 at 12:20:37 PM UTC-4, Frank Krygowski wrote:
> On 3/17/2023 9:50 AM, AMuzi wrote:
> > An exemplary press release! They worked in all the best buzzwords-
> > World First
> > 3D printed
> > Carbon
> > Downhill
> > Suspension
> >
> > https://cyclingindustry.news/world-first-3d-printed-carbon-fibre-dh-bike-revealed/
> I'm curious about details on the technique. If "carbon" means chopped
> fibers in a plastic matrix, they're not using the potential of carbon
> fiber very well.

It depends on your end-goal. We've experimented with it at my company, with not-to-pleasing results, mostly from the aesthetic perspective. There's also the issue of the 3-d layer adhesion - you need extremely well-controlled temperature and lay-down rate in order to get good consistent structural integrity, especially when subjecting the item to the Hazardous Location thermal endurance and impact testing a rather spectacular failure. it does however work extremly well for "general" location products. They may be using some sort of other bonding agent to get consistency between the layers on the bike - A road bike doesn't see the impact stress that a DH MTB does. Here;'s a primer on 3D CF filaments: https://www.3dsourced.com/3d-printer-materials/carbon-fiber-3d-printing-guide/

> And any other form of robotically laying down long
> fiber strands wouldn't seem to qualify as "printing."
>
> But overall, we're into almost Star Wars levels of technology to achieve
> ever diminishing returns.

again, it depends on your end goal. I'm sure Philipo Ganna is singing it's praises right about now
https://www.cyclingtips.com/2022/10/ganna-bike-check/

>
> --
> - Frank Krygowski

On Friday, March 17, 2023 at 1:23:27 PM UTC-7, Roger Meriman wrote:
> Frank Krygowski <frkr...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> > On 3/17/2023 9:50 AM, AMuzi wrote:
> >> An exemplary press release! They worked in all the best buzzwords-
> >> World First
> >> 3D printed
> >> Carbon
> >> Downhill
> >> Suspension
> >>
> >> https://cyclingindustry.news/world-first-3d-printed-carbon-fibre-dh-bike-revealed/
> >
> > I'm curious about details on the technique. If "carbon" means chopped
> > fibers in a plastic matrix, they're not using the potential of carbon
> > fiber very well. And any other form of robotically laying down long
> > fiber strands wouldn't seem to qualify as "printing."
> >
> > But overall, we're into almost Star Wars levels of technology to achieve
> > ever diminishing returns.
> >
> I’m told that printing allows some better shapes and so on, guess have to
> see how it pans out!
>
> Roger Merriman
The ONE advantage of 3-D printing is that the frame is made in one piece. Most manufactured bikes are made in halves bonded together. Taking the Trek and an example - each stay in made in halves and the main triangle in made in halves and bonded together. In this manner you can make them in a high pressure mold to eliminate voids.
The Chinese started out making them in one piece with cloth wrapped around a rubber balloon mold then placed in a female mold and heat and high pressure air applied to supposedly put enough pressure on the material to squeeze out any voids. That did not work all that well so I don't know what they're doing now.

Using the 3-D printing process I would be afraid that they would develop voids between the printer lines.