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Maybe I'm stating the obvious, but a bicycle has a more complicated (or specific) structure than most people realize that they find hard to reproduce when sketc
by rodw 6y ago
Maybe I'm stating the obvious, but a bicycle has a more complicated (or specific) structure than most people realize that they find hard to reproduce when sketching it.
I think "mental modeling" is actually the problem in that case. Our mental model of a bicycle is "wheels; pedals; handlebar; (sometimes) chain". To a casual observer, "fork" and "frame" is background information that they don't think about or notice but those are obviously pretty fundamental.
So when you sit down to sketch it from memory you suddenly realize that you're not exactly sure how those parts fit together. Think about how often people attach the pedals directly to a wheel in a sketch, for example. That's 100% reflecting our mental model ("to turn the wheel I turn the pedals").
"Sketch a bike" is almost like a test of "can you invent the diamond-shaped frame off the top your head?" Because of our mental model we don't even notice that part.
- JNRowe 6y ago> "Sketch a bike" is almost like a test of "can you invent the diamond-shaped frame off the top your head?" Because of our mental model we don't even notice that part. Distracting from your point, but there some awesome reconstructed diamonds floating around today. The two below are the first examples that sprang to mind because of how they invert the "missing" structure. 1. https://www.slowtwitch.com/Tech/Cody_Beals_Winning_Ride_7032.html https://www.slowtwitch.com/Tech/Cody_Beals_Winning_Ride_7032... 2. https://www.slowtwitch.com/Products/Tri_Bike_by_brand/Cervelo/Phoenix_Rising_The_New_Sika_Henry_Machine_7429.html https://www.slowtwitch.com/Products/Tri_Bike_by_brand/Cervel... Perhaps, some of the artists in the original piece are reporting from a future of tri-frames, lefty forks and shaft drives³. 3. https://www.bikeradar.com/news/faster-than-any-chain-ceramicspeed-driven/ https://www.bikeradar.com/news/faster-than-any-chain-ceramic...
- rodw 6y agoOof. The cantilevered rear wheel in the first link in particular makes me really uncomfortable for some reason. I don't mind the "n-shaped" frame overall but something about the chunky frame combined with the rear wheel sticking off the back makes me think it's going to snap off - painfully for the rider - on the first pothole or hop. I didn't realize that that the upper bar between the rear wheel and the saddle was so important to my psychological comfort, but I now I know. Even one of those skinny bars like the ones on old-school Schwinn road bikes would make me feel so much better about that bike. Wait. Is there a bar between the bottom-bracket and the rear wheel on the non-drive-train side of the bike, or is it actually cantilevered in two dimensions?
- JNRowe 6y ago> Is there a bar between the bottom-bracket and the rear wheel on the non-drive-train side of the bike, or is it actually cantilevered in two dimensions? There is no seatstay on the unseen side, but the Ventum is at least symmetrical. My boss' TT bike is similar in design to Cervelo in the second link, but with an oversized chainstay on the non-drive side for claimed aerodynamic effect. It looks fine with a disc in, however with a 5-spoke it looks dangerously pre-broken to my eyes. I understand feeling uncomfortable with the design, single-sided front "forks" are my personal cut-off for that queasy feeling. Plus, if you've not seen TT bikes in person before, be prepared for weird buffeting sounds from the disc wheels the first time you do. They definitely won't make you feel more comfortable about them ;)