What's new at sheldonbrown.com
Pages about tandems and tandeming Sheldon Brown and family on home-built tandems[/caption] have been updated. We have more about disc brakes, brake levers, Gates synchronizing belts, and details about upgrading a cheap beach-resort tandem to ride with a child.
Aluminum, titanium and carbon-fiber frames are fashionable, and generally lighter than steel frames. But if you are on a bicycle tour to a remote area, the ability of any small-town welder to perform an ugly but functional repair on a steel frame could allow you to continue. You may be able to straighten a bent frame yourself. Read about it here.
Now, a video to go with Harriet Fell’s article recently published on sheldonbrown.com: her presentation on the MIT aluminum bicycle frame project at the 2016 International Cycle History Conference.
New post: the MIT aluminum bicycle project, 1974, where modern aluminum bicycle frames got their start as student Marc Rosenbaum’s thesis project. sheldonbrown.com site owner Harriet Fell built one of the original MIT aluminum bicycle frames, it came to be an exhibit in a Klein vs. Cannondale lawsuit — and she still rides it!
More details on removing a stuck seatpost. Reader Andrew Livingston has refined the information Matt Duff sent us on using caustic soda to dissolve (yes, dissolve!) a stuck aluminum seatpost in a steel frame.
The groundbreaking article about fatigue-resistance testing of bicycle frames — the results surprised even the people doing the test — now in a much-improved new translation from the original German.
Another Rinard article updated: his page of links to information, sources of materials and software for amateur frame builders.
Damon Rinard built a carbon-fiber bicycle frame in his garage! And we have just updated his pages describing how he did it, including sources for materials and tools. He points out that it’s actually much easier to build a carbon fiber frame than a steel frame.
Headed out on tour where you could be 100 miles or more from the nearest bicycle shop? Or do you just want to know the principles of bicycle frame alignment? We have an article for you.
New article on refinishing bicycle frames. How much of the work does it make sense to do yourself? With a steel frame, there are several good answers, depending on available time, your workspace, and how much the appearance of the frame matters to you.
With non-steel frames, options are more limited, but the article describes them too.
