PVC Bike - Anyone tried it?
#26
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A bicycle frame made from PVC would make a pretty interesting art work (the kind you hang on the wall) and Testor's model paint is designed specifically for use on plastic. It (a PVC frame) would be cheap and easy to make (no welding skills required). I don't think I would ride one, tho.
#27
Ride On!!
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when i say ride one, i mean down the street, or around the block or something like not.. stuff thats under a quarter mile..
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Plastic bikes were made and sold. They were discontinued because they were too flexible and handled poorly.
Until CF, now lots of bikes are made of plastic. Pcv is not the same though. Not at all.
Until CF, now lots of bikes are made of plastic. Pcv is not the same though. Not at all.
#30
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Howdy,
Commercial PVC pipe is probably not your best choice, I'd go more to the Lexan end of things. Lexan is available in tubing and is eaily worked and bonded. The draw back is probably the cost, I'd guess the material will cost 4-5 times as much...
M.R.
Commercial PVC pipe is probably not your best choice, I'd go more to the Lexan end of things. Lexan is available in tubing and is eaily worked and bonded. The draw back is probably the cost, I'd guess the material will cost 4-5 times as much...
M.R.
#31
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Originally Posted by ofofhy
I saw one designed to be used on the water made of PVC, but it was in a trike configuration. It had big, plastic, paddle-like, floating wheels on it. Mt guess is you would have to modify the geometry of the frame to support your weight.
Otherwise, you're going to have this cool, strange bike that drew a mild interest from passer-bys and then got stuck in the back of your barn, forgotten.
#32
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once its complete, we need to find out how high we can do a drop with it
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maybe i can make one that can handle 6 ft drops.
and a waterbike would be too easy. made lots and lots of those in highschool physics.
and a waterbike would be too easy. made lots and lots of those in highschool physics.
#34
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having recently used a lot of pvc pipe in my basement (drains) i would not like to be sitting on a bike made of it after a 6 foot drop, depending on your body weight, you might continue on through the cross bar without stopping.
however there was a bike i believe was called the Itera.....
however there was a bike i believe was called the Itera.....
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#36
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If I were going to build a bike frame from an alternative material I would use wood. I found this link quite by accident and book marked it. It makes interesting reading and I think someone could look at his photos and figure out how to build one without sending this fellow $25. Then again $25 is less than you would spend at a fast food joint to feed the family so if I were going to do something like this I guess I would pay the $25 and save design time.
https://mysite.verizon.net/res88kr1/
https://mysite.verizon.net/res88kr1/
#37
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Originally Posted by notfred
PVC is slightly stronger than cardboard. your bike will break.
My main concern is this...
Originally Posted by jemoryl
Actually, most PVC pipe I've seen has quite a bit of give. A PVC bike would be more like one made from al dente pasta.
#38
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Originally Posted by Rowan
Yeah, why not give it a go. so many things were met with "it won't work", "hope you're health insurance is up to date", and we use them now every day -- probably even that wonder product, carbon fibre!
You gotta love the Internet.
#41
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Building a bike out of an odd frame material still means you have to add all the normal bike parts. Compared to buying an entry level mountain bike a PVC frame bike will cost more if you buy the components at near retail. Then you have a heavy weak bike. Lots of things won't fit the pvc pipe so you will need some parts made special just for that bike. If you can't do it by yourself, and need to pay someone to make parts for you, (meaning you don't have access to a machine shop for free)
the price of the bike will easily be more than double the price of an entry level MTB. The diameters of the plastic pipe will be different than steel or aluminum, so most things won't fit.
You could build a lousy $300 bike for $600, maybe more.
the price of the bike will easily be more than double the price of an entry level MTB. The diameters of the plastic pipe will be different than steel or aluminum, so most things won't fit.
You could build a lousy $300 bike for $600, maybe more.
#42
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Isn't it amazing how quickly a 2+ year-old thread can be resurrected. That said, I seem to recall seeing a story in the summer of '05 about a guy in California who was impaled on a piece of PVC after trying to make a bike out of the stuff... ; )
#43
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There is a man here in Hermosa Beach who has a bike frame and wheels made of wood. It's pretty cool, shaped like a chopper... You should see him ride it up hill...
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Originally Posted by JustBrowsing
Isn't it amazing how quickly a 2+ year-old thread can be resurrected.
#46
Fossil
I saw a plywood bike once. It was a kid's size and made basically of two plywood triangles more or less side by side. The wheels were solid plywood circles with small circular cutouts for the schrader valves. It had rubber tires and plywood forks. It appeared well made and finished, not a homemade job. This was in a small town in Italy last October.
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PVC bike:
Well, at least you won't need any suspension like shocks and frame suspension :-) The whole thing should bounce away merrily.
Well, at least you won't need any suspension like shocks and frame suspension :-) The whole thing should bounce away merrily.
#48
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Originally Posted by geo8rge
electrical conduit? Probably bends before it fails. Tube benders and fittings already exist.
https://bikerodnkustom3.homestead.com/brad_overkill.html
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Originally Posted by vpiuva
Like to climb with that rear wheel? Talk about your rotational weight issues.