The Plastic Machine

[Vonpotter]

Will the handlebars be made of plastic as well?

Nope. Went down that road once before. Too bendy

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[Vonpotter]

A glimpse at the assembly process:

I had to get creative to make the Shift mech fit for the Nexus 3spd

Which lead to making a shift knob. I rolled a bunch of melted filler rod into a big ball of poo

Then colored all the veins in with silver sharpie and hit it with some translucent blue. While it was wet, I used a rag covered in thinner to wipe off all the high spots. Then cleared it all

.....and installed it

Seat is a piece of 1/4" plastic that I bent up and welded in place

Almost done!

 

[OCD]

That's way too cool. A truly modern classic. Is the type of material used hard like plexiglass or closer to a cutting board? What other cool one-off's have you built on your coffee breaks?

 

[Vonpotter]

Closer to a cutting board. I'll dig up some pics tomorrow of all my other creations

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[LukeTheJoker]

Loving this build!

Luke.

 

[scrapedmytoes]

Brilliantly different this thing

 

[Vonpotter]

Went out and took some glamour shots

and then of course my new Azonic CNC stem came in that night

which lead to me going for a night ride, with it lit up properly

 

[Fv2]

Dig the lit up tank.
How's she ride?

 

[Vonpotter]

Dig the lit up tank.
How's she ride?

Like butter. Could use a larger sprocket up front, but that's a quick fix.

First ride prompted the addition of star washers on the rear axle, as the painted aluminum and smooth plastic allowed the wheel to slide forward after a couple miles. But that is the only issue so far. No slippage since adding the washers

 

[gigmata]

Not a frequent poster here by any means, but here's my latest scratch build. I have been working at a plastic fabrication plant for a few years now. That time is nearing an end, so I decided to get something done that I've been kicking around the entire time I've worked there: A plastic bike. I have made tons of parts for my bikes in the time I've worked here (seats, forks, tank plates, baskets, handlebars, etc) But a full bike would take a ton of engineering.

I did it anyway

3/4" thick plates for rear triangle and fork

Machined Dropouts

A brief mockup with the two 1/2" thick frame panels

Welded in a 1/4" opaque plastic "tank"

Got some wheels: 3g 3speed with Kenda Kiniptions

Another mockup with the pipe that holds it all together

A rear view

A rough idea of the finished product

1/4" aluminum reinforcing plates hot off the CNC plas

Finished the fork:

Waiting on a few parts as of right now, but should be complete this week

I like everything you are telling me, right now.


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[LukeTheJoker]

Very cool to see it out and about!
Love the light up tank!

Luke.

 

[Fruttolo]

Very unique bike!
I'd like some ape hangers on it

 

[order99]

This is...truly one of the most amazing builds I have seen to date!



How do you think it will hold up to the stresses of weather and long term use compared to the usual steel and aluminum builds?

 

[scrumblero]

thats bad@$$

 

[kingfish254]

I totally missed the updates on this one. WOW!!!! That is one wicked bike! I love the engineering and the unique material/assembly. That definitely adds a unique cool factor to it, but beyond that, this is a GREAT build! How does it ride? Give us some more pics!!!

 

[Vonpotter]

Thanks for the kind words fellas
In terms of longevity, I would bet my life savings to say that this thing would outlast a steel or aluminum bike as the plastic doesn't corrode or react to any chemicals. We have tanks that have been in the field for 20 years or more, so I'd say it will handle weather and stress just fine

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[boro]

Thats one great build! Actually your bike (ive seen it on fb) inspired me to build my flatpack aluminium bicycle!