Enginerve : Bikes

10% luck, 20% skill, 15% concentrated power of will, 5% pleasure, 50% pain…a 100% reason to remember the name

  • How cool is this project.  While Peter built his own jig and frame, I have been thwarted at the amount of work to get the frame aligned while welding.  This is taking care of that issue, and according to the post, they did reach their funding goal on Kickstarter

    Mixed Media Engineering is proud to introduce ‘The Jiggernaut’: an affordable bicycle frame jig that enables anyone to build a high-quality, custom bicycle.  

    Dave and I have wanted to build our own bicycle frames for years.  Being bike enthusiast as well as handy people, there’s just something about a unique, hand crafted frame that resonated with us.

    While researching frame building, we discovered that there’s a tool called a frame jig that is really nice to have when building your own frames.  Basically, the frame jig holds all of the tubes in 3D space while you fit and weld them.  We found some pre-made frame jigs for sale, but they were over a thousand dollars, which was more than we wanted to spend on a hobby that we’d never tried before.  We racked our brains for ways to solve the problem and realized that we could probably build one out of MDF (inexpensive and flat) and have the pieces CNC routed (automated manufacturing).  After prototyping a few jigs and building our first frame we knew that there had to be other people out there in the same boat as us.  So to test the waters we launched our frame jig, The Jiggernaut, on Kickstarter.

    The Jiggernaut begins life as a half sheet of ¾” thick MDF and is CNC routed into an easily assembled, lightweight jig that can be packed flat for shipping.  Once unpacked, the jig is transformed into a 3D structure using the included fasteners.The jig is highly adjustable and can accommodate most types of frame geometries and tube sizes. We want to make this product a reality for every aspiring frame builder and help spread the word that ‘Made in America’ is back.

    The Jiggernaut starts at just $299 and we also sell kits that include tubing to build either a road bike or a mountain bike starting at just $499.

    We’ve had a positive response so far and are trying to spread the word to as many people as possible before our funding goal ends.  You can check it out here.  Press for The Jiggernaut here.

    Then from Kickstarter the following was posted.

     

    Copy

    ABOUT THIS PROJECT

    Thanks for checking out our project!  We are excited to bring you a great DIY frame building product.

    The Jiggernaut is an affordable bicycle frame jig that enables anyone to build a high-quality, custom bicycle.  

    A frame jig is an essential tool for building bike frames.  There are some jigs on the market today, but most are designed with the production builder in mind and are well beyond the budget of the average person that just wants get started in bicycle building.  We didn’t want this hurdle to stand in the way any longer. We have designed and built a high-quality frame jig that is affordable to anyone wanting to try their hand at frame building.

    The Jiggernaut begins life as a half sheet of ¾” thick MDF and is CNC routed into an easily assembled, lightweight jig that can be packed flat for shipping.

    Once unpacked, the jig is transformed into a 3D structure using the included fasteners.The jig is highly adjustable and can accommodate most types of frame geometries and tube sizes.

    To make building a frame even easier we offer kits that include not only The Jiggernaut, but a tube set and accessories to build a beautiful lugged bicycle with track dropouts or a mountain bike.

    The best part is, when building your own bike the possibilities for customization are endless.  Want decorative lugs?  Carve them up to your heart’s content.  Thirsty?  Solder on as many water bottle bosses as you want. Looking for the perfect fit?  Now you can have it.

    We want to make this product a reality for every aspiring frame builder but we can’t do it without you.  We hope you choose to support the project and help spread the word that ‘Made in America’ is back. Thank you!

  • March 16, 2012 | from the BTY Blog | by LeeAnne Fergason

    Thanks to a new partnership between Biketrainpdx and Sellwood Cycle Repair, families who are interested in biking to school can give it a try without committing to purchasing all the gear right away. Here’s out it works: Your family can borrow two bikes for one month. The only catch is that your family has to try biking to school at least once during the month.

    Email biketrainpdx@gmail.com to coordinate a time to drop off or pick up your bikes. For more information go to www.biketrainpdx.org/familybikerental.

  • Help a Teacher Apply Today

    Disclaimer: Me!

    ExperiencePlus! Bicycle Tours is proud to announce the return of our popular Send A Teacher Traveling (S.A.T.T.) Award, designed to recognize outstanding public school teachers throughout the United States. We believe that public school teachers (K-12) are the nation’s most important human resource. We further believe that by encouraging teachers to participate in educational, active travel opportunities, like those offered by ExperiencePlus!, countless students who come into contact with those teachers will benefit.

    Since the program began in 1996 we have given away over 20 free bicycle tours across Europe and Latin America.  Monica and Maria Elena, current owners of ExperiencePlus! Bicycle Tours are excited to continue such a great program and their parents and founders of the company, Rick and Paola Malpezzi-Price – both educators themselves -  will assist in picking the winner.

  • From the Chicago Tribune watch the VIDEO

    Eric Puetz says he likes riding his bike to work every day — from Arlington Heights to Logan Square — because "you see the city in a different light."

    But Puetz, 51, said he was outraged by what he saw on the Northwest Side Thursday evening: A man wrestling with a 75-year-old woman on the ground, then grabbing her purse and running away.

    Puetz said he took off after the mugger and stayed on his trail across a parking lot and into an alley, even when the suspect claimed to have a gun.  He finally tackled the man in the 3000 block of North Karlov Avenue, about two blocks away, and held him until police arrived.

    “I don’t think I had a choice, she was under five feet tall,” explained Puetz, who owns a bicycle shop in Logan Square. “He has only one place he belongs and we’re going to put him there.”

    During the chase, the mugger repeatedly told Puetz he had a gun so he stayed about 30 feet behind. “Do you tell someone you have a gun three times? The third time was time to take him down,” Puetz said.

    Puetz said he then yelled for someone to call police and lunged at the robber, landing on top of him. The robber yelled, “I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe,” Puetz said. “He just had 220 pounds on top of him,” said Puetz, guessing the mugger weighed just 130.

    Puetz said he briefly met the victim — the "young lady" — at the police station and she was very thankful. "I was happy to get involved. ”

    Police said the victim suffered injuries to her right thumb and three fingers on her left hand, but refused medical treatment. The suspect, a 34-year-old man, lives less than two blocks from where he was arrested.

    Puetz said there was another victim in the crime, the city of Chicago. “The police had to change their entire day for this clown,” he said.  “He was not given God’s blessings of brains. . . There are just certain things that aren’t acceptable.”

    He added that he still plans on biking the 21 miles to work every day. "A  bike connects you to your surroundings,” he said. “ That’s why I choose to bike, it’s the most enjoyable way and it paid off last night.”

  • Restoring a vintage Dumpster Bike

    Restoring a vintage Dumpster Bike

    The old song goes "the best things in life are free".. and the same goes for bikes.

    I have had two bikes which I found in the dumpster (rubbish bin here in Australia). With some time and elbow grease, and sometimes a little bit of money you can restore a bike which was destined for the dump into something that is fast and fun to ride around.

    This instructible shows you how to restore a dumpster bike – in this case a 10-speed road/touring bike.  These bikes are commonly thrown out, can be converted into a single speed or easily renovated into a working bike.

    I have concentrated mainly on providing the resources and hints, rather than the in-depth detail for each section of the bike.  The reason for this is that no two bikes are the same and if I go into too much detail for one part (eg. the headset).

  • This would be before fixies? 

  • The secret is wonderfully simple. Just enjoy yourself. Of course, if you are unhappy and all of your energy is expended on something you don’t enjoy or something that ultimately creates more stress than pleasure, your immune system is going to suffer.

    The power with which your body can fight off illness is directly related to the level of stress in your life. The more panicked you are in your everyday life, the more energy your body expends being stressed, and conversely, the less energy you have to fight off illnesses.

    Another very simple way to maintain longevity is to keep nature as a constant in your life. Keeping plants in your living space relieves air pollution and pumps your environment with fresh oxygen. Living in rural areas, close to wilderness also correlates to a longer life.

    Wanna live past 100? Try keeping it simple, and living in harmony with your environment.