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134.5 kg Concrete Bike [video]
- matthewfcarlson 4y agoIf nothing else, it’s a good way to get in shape
- xuhu 4y agoAnd the reason it's easier to make than a wooden bike is that you can take a normal bike and pour concrete onto each element.
- kawsper 4y agoSomeone in the UK made a wooden frame: https://youtu.be/jd0vt5v37B0 https://youtu.be/jd0vt5v37B0
- kfnic 4y agoWilliam Osman on YouTube made a bike fully out of wood: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yJdz-kjfLk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yJdz-kjfLk [haven't finished the video yet, not sure if this or something similar was mentioned]
- mkoryak 4y agowhen I lived in JP (a part of Boston) I made my commuter bike "unstealable" by taping it and putting joint compound all over the frame. The thing was ugly as sin and looked at lot like this bike. I could leave it locked with one of those cheap combination cable locks, and no one ever took it.
- krasin 4y agoDo you happen to have photos of the bike?
- elicash 4y agoI like this. But alternatively, couldn't that make it look abandoned and possibly have the opposite effect?
- mkoryak 4y agoIt didn't look abandoned, it looked ugly as shit, but definitely not abandoned. Sadly I can't find pics. It was not a bike that photographed well.
- blamazon 4y agoI do this with extension cords, bit of electrical tape and most potential yoinkers will think twice about yoinking.
- djmips 4y agoI do this to my own body - bits of electrical tape - I am virtually un-kidnap-able now.
- causi 4y agoRather misleading since the concrete isn't even structurally integral to the bike. It's more like a rebar bike that had concrete poured on it.
- ddkto 4y agoI suppose the technically correct term would be reinforced concrete bike
- cptskippy 4y agoI would say "I covered a bike in concrete" would be the most accurate title.
- stingrae 4y agoto be fair, large amounts of the frame are not just merely covered in concrete
- cptskippy 4y agoYes, and the entire thing is either reinforced with rebar or structurally dependent on actual bicycle parts. You could argue that the rebar reinforcements, if welded together, would make a sufficient frame and the concrete is primarily acting as a bonding agent.
- version_five 4y agoThe same thought went through my mind watching it, but you could say the same about most (many?) concrete structures. Someone with a structural background could explain better, but I believe the rebar and concrete provide different kinds of strength, like concrete is compressive strong (and keeps the minimal amount of rebar from moving around and bending, while the rebar keeps the concrete from cracking. Even for the bike, it wouldn't be the same structurally if they just wired up a rebar frame
- 4y ago
- ginko 4y agoThe main thing it seems to be missing is brakes.
- tokai 4y agoIts fixed gear. Your brake is to stop pedaling.
- Lukas_Skywalker 4y agoI thought so too, but at 20:55 you can see the rider stop pedalling while still rolling. It seems to contain a freewheel mechanism: https://youtu.be/Yqgn-qlg1X0?t=1255 https://youtu.be/Yqgn-qlg1X0?t=1255
- ctrlaltesc 4y agoIt's a "coaster" hub, very common on cheap single-speed bikes. It allows you to coast without pedalling, and by applying backwards pedal pressure it activates a drum brake. Definitely not enough braking force for this bike weight though.
- pier25 4y agoYeah. Good luck stopping that thing with a bit of speed. Notice that in the video he always pedals super slowly.
- barbazoo 4y agoAt https://youtu.be/Yqgn-qlg1X0?t=312 https://youtu.be/Yqgn-qlg1X0?t=312 I wondered why the back dropout* was facing upwards but then later at https://youtu.be/Yqgn-qlg1X0?t=1109 https://youtu.be/Yqgn-qlg1X0?t=1109 they seemed to have fixed it? * the part of the frame that attaches to the wheel
- dvirsky 4y agoI was wondering that too, thought I missed something.
- Lukas_Skywalker 4y agoThe frame is upside down. You can see the bottom bracket is on top, and the seat tube is facing down.
- barbazoo 4y agooh yes you're right!!!
- tromp 4y agoMy favorite part of this project has got to be the helmet. For one, because it's pure concrete, with no metal frame inside it like the other parts. And second, because it best illustrates the utility of the project in that a concrete helmet is literally worse than useless.
- wildmanx 4y ago> a concrete helmet is literally worse than useless. Is it? It would still absorb energy upon impact. Which, in contrast to popular belief about bike helmets, is its main function. Yes, ordinary bike helmets will also just break. But in doing so, they absorb energy which then won't be absorbed by your skull. There is no point in a perfectly stiff helmet. It would just transfer the energy right through and you'd crash your skull into the helmet, which doesn't help.
- tromp 4y agoConcrete is pretty stiff. But mostly, wearing such a helmet will make it much harder to move your head around to scan your surroundings, increasing the chance of accidents.
- WMaking 4y agoIt may not be as much of a factor at bicycle speeds, but I've read that heavy helmets can dramatically increase whiplash in things like motorsport. The increased mass on your head means higher forces trying to rip it off. Obviously the other benefits of real helmets outweigh that issue, but I'd imagine a concrete helmet with very poor shock absorption and very high mass would not fair so well.
- c2h5oh 4y agoI strongly suspect that the steel reinforcement used in the frame could have acted as a rigid enough frame without the concrete
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- epakai 4y agoIt sort of does. You can see the fork got damaged mid-span in some of the riding shots. Still there isn't enough strength in places like the fork ends or crown without the concrete.
- ejb999 4y agocorrect, it is a steel framed bike, covered with concrete - not a concrete bike.
- amelius 4y agoI strongly suspect they could just as well have used a normal bike and cast the concrete around it (which they did for some parts) ...
- wolpoli 4y agoI suspect that the concrete will crack if it is just molded to the frame itself. Concrete cracks easily without support.
- deleted 4y ago
- hooverd 4y agoFinally, the secret to how those bike-share bikes are made.
- aortega 4y agoBikes are incredibly simple devices, it's amazing that they were not invented up until 200 years ago.
- tromp 4y ago205 years to be precise: https://www.bricsys.com/en-eu/blog/the-first-bicycles https://www.bricsys.com/en-eu/blog/the-first-bicycles
- soperj 4y agoRubber. It's a product of the Americas, before that, wheels sucked.
- 323 4y agoThe chain requires some pretty fine engineering. Arguably jewelry makers had it.
- kccqzy 4y agoNo they are not. Most people can't explain off the top of their head how the derailleur works to move the chain from one cog to another, or how freewheeling allows the wheel to move without the pedals to move, or even how the cable allows brakes to be remotely activated from the handlebar. Most people can't even explain why it is possible for a bike to be stable while moving but can't stand on its own. It's counter-intuitive. There's plenty of ingenuity in the design of a modern bike.
- xdennis 4y agoMost of what you're describing isn't necessary for a bike. A fixie bike doesn't have a derailleur or freewheeling. And you can slow down without breaks. You can even remove the chain. A penny-farthing bike is a surprisingly simple device. It is surprising it wasn't invented earlier. My guess would be that they weren't invented earlier because they are not that useful without good roads.
- jackvalentine 4y ago
- kogus 4y agoThis reminds me of my own wacky idea for a line of fitness products: ordinary everyday items that are normal in every way except that they are intentionally designed to be physically challenging to use. For example, doors that require a lot of force to open, keyboards with 1lb resistance springs, remote controls that weigh several kilograms, etc. Since many people have trouble going to the gym, it would be a way to introduce weight training in a way that was both unobtrusive and unavoidable. Just one of those things that has been bouncing around in my head for years now. I think riding this bike would definitely qualify as weight training :)
- marcodiego 4y ago> keyboards with 1lb resistance springs This may be a good recipe for tendinitis.
- tinalumfoil 4y agoEverything here sounds like a recipe for injury. When you're lifting heavy things you should be focused on (correctly) lifting the heavy thing. If you turn the oven door into a deadlift you're going to forget one day and throw out your back.
- Swenrekcah 4y agoAfter three days of the 4kg remote you’ll be over at your date’s house and promptly punch her in the face when picking up her remote.
- xeromal 4y ago
- nicbou 4y agoHave you heard of crossfit?
- mabbo 4y agoYou're thinking too small, friend. Build a space station with gravity via rotation. Then spin it up to 150% of normal gravity. Now everything is 50% heavier, yourself included!
- peteradio 4y agoI'm glad they included springs on the seat, otherwise that could have been an uncomfortable ride.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- cryptodan 4y agoThe DeLorean went to far back.
- frostwarrior 4y agoImagine getting hit by a car. Poor car.
- topspin 4y agoThat's the thought I had; at least the car would take some damage.
- kube-system 4y agoIt's similar weight to a small motorcycle.
- ChrisMarshallNY 4y agoSo now bicyclists can suffer the same class of life-threatening injury that motorcyclists do!
- dinom 4y agoI have to guess that in some forms of cycling you can still get motorcyclist style injuries... downhill racing and slopestyle come to mind.
- ChrisMarshallNY 4y agoYes, especially around these parts. There’s all kinds of blind curves, with no shoulder, and awful drivers, all around. But motorcycles weigh a lot, and, quite often, that weight causes grave injuries, even at fairly low speeds (like sanding off your leg).
- dinom 4y agoTrue, I suppose it's the types of injuries that will differ most between bicycling and motorcycling. You won't see many flesh burns from touching hot bicycle parts either. Nonetheless, severity can get a lot closer. Shiny side up!
- utopcell 4y agoIt's great that he added concrete steps for creating the bike.
- Theodores 4y agoI have always wanted to make a mountain bike out of scaffolding poles in order to review it positively. Notionally such a bike should score highly in many key metrics. In the review the obvious failings are overlooked yet the reader can work it out for themselves.
- bch 4y agoI remember in the 1980s Bicycling or some such magazine wrapped a road bike in concrete, called it a composite bicycle and did a full review. Needless to say, it scored poorly.
- bjourne 4y agoThat's brutal.
- m1117 4y agoThis is also how google approaches product design
- jfim 4y agoReminds me of those yearly engineering competitions where students build canoes out of concrete and race them: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concrete_canoe https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concrete_canoe
- acomjean 4y agoAh my Civil Engineering student years.. Except my year, because the year before the canoe wasn't right, and the sponsoring professor swamped the thing and took a year off (or so was the rumor), so our class never got to build one.
- sgjohnson 4y agoI wonder if they could make one from Iridium now. Now that would be flashy.
- djmips 4y agoThis is a metaphor for poorly designed software. Don't worry we'll optimize it at the end!
- lizardactivist 4y agoOnly ex-bodybuilders turned bike thiefs would think of stealing that!
- derac 4y agoThe level of maker youtube projects has been going off the charts. Some examples from less well-known creators: Drunk Mel Gibson arrest diorama https://youtu.be/2UoHb0ziMDA https://youtu.be/2UoHb0ziMDA Knife throwing machine https://youtu.be/-BKEZbYOMpI https://youtu.be/-BKEZbYOMpI 3d printed harmonic drive https://youtu.be/Emvo3bLT-Z4 https://youtu.be/Emvo3bLT-Z4
- donjoe 4y agoThe knife throwing machine reminds me a lot of the slingshot channel: https://youtube.com/c/Slingshotchannel https://youtube.com/c/Slingshotchannel
- NCC1701DEngage 4y agoHave you seen NightHawkInLight: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFtc3XdXgLFwhlDajMGK69w https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFtc3XdXgLFwhlDajMGK69w LaserSaber: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIKzUKkh7XtnSYPW0AJb-9w https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIKzUKkh7XtnSYPW0AJb-9w or StyroPyro: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJYJgj7rzsn0vdR7fkgjuIA https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJYJgj7rzsn0vdR7fkgjuIA They have similarity to the Quint BUILDs channel that the knife throwing machine video came from. They all do some pretty crazy builds.
- aidenn0 4y agoLet me show you its features!
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- tomcam 4y agoI have seen plenty of bikes that could pass as sculptures but this is the first sculpture I’ve seen that could be used as a bike.
- amenghra 4y agoSounds like a bulldozer. Love it!
- prvc 4y agoYes, but why? And isn't it more of a bike covered in concrete than a concrete bike?
- z9znz 4y agoOh there’s a lot of fun concepts to muse about. But one is brakes. That aside, at least it wouldn’t get stolen in Amsterdam. Which reminds me of something a friend did. He lived in a neighborhood where anything visible would be stolen. So he took an old computer tower case and filled it with concrete. Then he left it on his front porch. Predictably some guy tried to steal it. The poor fool managed to move it one house over before giving up and dropping it in the street.
- korse 4y agoNot a whole lot of engineers on here I guess? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Northern_Concrete_Toboggan_Race https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Northern_Concrete_Tobogg...
- morepork 4y agoNow don't take this near any hills
- kosyblysk666 4y ago
- jemfinch 4y agoWhy did they mirror-image reverse the shot starting at 19:46? Bikes aren't symmetrical: the gearing is on the wrong side.
- femto 4y agoNext challenge: the lightest concrete bike. Concrete canoes are a thing civil engineers make for fun [1]. Weight can come in at under 10kg [2]. That's about half the weight of a typical canoe [3]. On that basis, one might be able to build a concrete bike that is lighter than a typical bike? [1] https://www.asce.org/communities/student-members/conferences/asce-concrete-canoe-competition https://www.asce.org/communities/student-members/conferences... [2] https://www.concrete.org/Portals/0/Files/PDF/20-1stPlace-Kongu-4MenCanoe.pdf https://www.concrete.org/Portals/0/Files/PDF/20-1stPlace-Kon... [3] https://paddlecamp.com/how-much-does-a-canoe-weigh/ https://paddlecamp.com/how-much-does-a-canoe-weigh/
- brk 4y agoIn the late 70's ferro-cement sailboats were a thing. I watched one get built at the marina where we kept our boat at the time. It's mentioned here [0], the Sandpiper. [0] https://books.google.com/books?id=COilQT7iWTgC&pg=PP436&lpg=PP436&dq=sandpiper+ferro+cement+sailboat&source=bl&ots=f2NRj4-zve&sig=ACfU3U2-pn-mCrPlhZU96EmKJsaUsdAWrA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjes4bBtfL5AhWLnWoFHefeDA0Q6AF6BAgpEAM#v=onepage&q=sandpiper%20ferro%20cement%20sailboat%20walmart&f=false https://books.google.com/books?id=COilQT7iWTgC&pg=PP436&lpg=...
- ljf 4y agoMy friends live in a 80s cement boat, and have done since they built it. Was brilliant but now uninsurable, and they are stuck unable to move it and worrying about every stormy day. That said, for over 20 years it was great, but once water gets in the cracks...
- VectorLock 4y agoWouldn't this be a "cement bike?" I don't see any aggregate.
- quickthrower2 4y agoI am just locking up this bike. Why? So no one steals the bike rack.
- dusted 4y agoseems to have just about as much steel, if not more, in it as a regular bike..
- worik 4y agoA concrete hat? A step too far!
- cies 4y agoWaste of resources to do a YT hype. It's not a concrete bike, its a reinfoced concrete bike (a steel + concrete bike). Withe the amount of steel used a just-steel bike could have been built. There's just a bit of concrete on the outside of the otherwise quite regular bike. Well done /s
- IvanLudvig 4y agoReminds me of a story that happened in Russia. A store offered a discount on buying new bikes if you turn in your old bike. The discount percentage was equal to the bike's weight in kg. One clever guy built a bike weighing 113 kg. It actually worked and he got a very expensive bike for free https://bloknot-rostov.ru/news/rostovchanin-sobral-velosiped-vesom-113-kilogramm-i-obmenjal-ego-na-novyj-stoimostju-200-tysjach-rublej-20140317 https://bloknot-rostov.ru/news/rostovchanin-sobral-velosiped...