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3D printed bike fails at press launch

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Ever had one of those dreams where you’re half way through a presentation when it occurs you that you’ve forgotten to wear any trousers?

Screen Shot 2015-02-16 at 14.19.05
AAARGH

It’s the sort of thing that leaves many people awake at 3am in a cold sweat, and something very similar happened recently to James Nugent, Michael Mackay-MacLaren, and Gabriel Wong, except it involved the lack of a shakedown ride.

In a nutshell, the plan went something like this:

  1. Design 3D bicycle out of modular components.
  2. Print 3D bicycle out of modular components.
  3. Display 3D bicycle to assembled press-types
  4. Exult in adulation of assembled throng

Unfortunately  there was a minor slip up during step 3, wherein a planned demonstration ride also involved an unscheduled ‘head-tube disassembly event’. You have to applaud their making the best of a bad job though – they rally very well, instead of running into a corner weeping uncontrollably, as I would have done. You can watch it here:

Fingers crossed that the next iteration fares a little better!

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Barney Marsh takes the word ‘career’ literally, veering wildly across the road of his life, as thoroughly in control as a goldfish on the dashboard of a motorhome. He’s been, with varying degrees of success, a scientist, teacher, shop assistant, binman and, for one memorable day, a hospital laundry worker. These days, he’s a dad, husband, guitarist, and writer, also with varying degrees of success. He sometimes takes photographs. Some of them are acceptable. Occasionally he rides bikes to cast the rest of his life into sharp relief. Or just to ride through puddles. Sometimes he writes about them. Bikes, not puddles. He is a writer of rongs, a stealer of souls and a polisher of turds. He isn’t nearly as clever or as funny as he thinks he is.

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Comments (8)

    The PinksterThe Pinkster February 16, 2015 at 3:26 pm

    Oops. Big respect for them blagging it after the failure but if I got it right that’s a very small diameter steerer for the loads exerted through it.

    rickonrickon February 16, 2015 at 3:26 pm

    I don’t see that anything actually went wrong, they stated they were still in a design phase – and had another 4-6 months left to go before they would be able to take it for a spin.

    Fail Fast is key for them, I’d assume, and they’re doing that by building and trying stuff out – 3D printing is great for prototyping, much better than them going into full production not knowing the headtube was going to collapse 😉

    SamSam February 16, 2015 at 4:07 pm

    The main error there was using a MakerBot to print anything structural. They suck at consistency.

    dickyhepburndickyhepburn February 16, 2015 at 4:53 pm

    That slack head angle is so enduro

    Rob SatchRob Satch February 16, 2015 at 6:41 pm

    The fact they are holding on to him suggested they knew or suspected it would fail. Anyway I like the fact someone is giving it ago, good luck to them!

    Who knows there might be 3D printer in every local bike shop at some point.

    PaulPaul February 16, 2015 at 8:30 pm

    TBH, “3d printed” is a bit like the Emperors New Clothes for me. ie, it has it’s uses, but it is slow, expensive, and produces inconsistent results. Sure, use it to make a prototype that is dimensionally correct (ish) but you’d never make a production bike using this tech, just like you probably wouldn’t cast one from solid etc

    SamSam February 17, 2015 at 12:06 am

    Eeeer, max – “http://singletrackworld.com/2014/02/empire-and-renishaw-build-first-3d-printed-mtb/”

    harry_the_spiderharry_the_spider February 17, 2015 at 1:01 pm

    Has the one on the left tucked his trousers into his boots?

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