Designing a custom Trials frame. I need your help and ideas.

Hello there, I've recently been sitting down and talking to Mr. Aran
Cook @ Iolobikes, about making a custom trials frame. His company
Iolobikes, already makes bespoke, totally customised biketrials frames
and the results are extremely successful, strong, and longlasting.

So, I decided it was time for a new frame... So what was there to
get?:

*KH 2005?* nah, seen 2 break at the hands of a friend. Plus I'd like to
be different.

*Koxx XTP?* Koxx-One is going in the bad direction of Koxx bikes, too
expensive and really a scam for such a small thing. Plus it's
aluminium= early death compared to tough steel frames.

*Nimbus/Devil/Dan Heaton Koxx/Orange Bud?: *yeah had 2 of them already,
all the same stuff basically...

Any other frames, I don't really acknowledge as real buying options.
So, I decided, instead of all those, why not have a customised trials
frame that's both strong and unique?

It'll be made of T45 Steel tubing which is Fillet brazed together (no
welding). Choice of end powdercoating colour can be chosen, and Mr.
Cook can add gussets or any other extras to stiffen the frame or
reinforce it. What's further more reassuring is, that if I crack it
(ever?) then Aran Cook can repair it and add further reinforcement or
modify it to eliminate weakness.

Where I need your help is that, I'll needing an already successful
trials frame like the KH 2005 or KH 2004 to use as a base to help Aran
get a good idea of how to get things sorted. It's going to be a tough
T45 steel frame and will have the bearing holders of a KH frame, as I
find the normal generic bearing holders of Nimbuses and Devils to be
extremely tiresome to take apart and put together (as I learned from
travelling abroad so much). I need you guys to tell me what you'd like
to see in a custom trials frame and what frame I should send Aran to
base it off. The frames I can send a KH 2004, KH 2005, or a Devil.

The end resulting frame may look quite similar to its base frame, but
it will be totally different in construction and strength, which is
what matters.

anyway, check out www.iolobikes.com and see the 'Construction and
geometry' page to see how the T45 steel and Fillet brazing come into
effect.

Thanks for reading.


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i can't help but it sounds cool. How much are you having to pay to get
it made


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Ricky W

Unicycle For Christ
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I'm not too sure yet, their bike frames cost 260 Pounds as a starting
price. So I think my uni frame might cost around 100 if it's going to a
fair price.


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What has been the break point of other frames? Or the problem point of
other frames? That is probably the best place to start. The other thing
you want to take into consideration is how much clearance you want and
in what form. Do you want a form fitting frame similar to a rounded
frame, or do you want a flat top. You seem to know what you want in
terms of a bearing clamp so really the things to look at a basic
frame design (single piece, hunter style, or reinforced hunter style
which I think ryan used to have and Jeff Groves is still riding), and
crown style.

Going by flat top crown style on a basic single piece frame, there are
three major styles I can think of, "flat" top (Torker DX style),
"round" top (Koxx signiture style), and "post" top (Yuni style
frames).

Are you having a problem with breaking frames? Bending them? Are they
too heavy? The best way to design a frame is to find out what the
things are that make you not want to use a production frame. Not just o
I heard this is bad, or this one is ugly, but what is it that makes the
frame a bad one.


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ntappin
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I would think that a good frame would be a lot like the 2005 KH frame,
only perhaps more reinforcements around the crown, and knurling on the
crown. seeing as your having it made, you might as well get a long seat
tube also. minimal tire clearence would be good also.

that's about all I can think of.


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mornish

tobbogonist wrote:
that was neat, now i only have to put it to use.
parents banned my uni due to low school marks so if there are any nerds
out there with a kind heart, i have a psychology assignment that is a
few weeks over due, it is on intelligence.
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mornish wrote:
I would think that a good frame would be a lot like the 2005 KH frame,
only perhaps more reinforcements around the crown, and knurling on the
crown. seeing as your having it made, you might as well get a long seat
tube also. minimal tire clearence would be good also.

that's about all I can think of.



Minimal tire clearance is something I would actualy stear away from for
a trials frame as you are very likely to knock your wheel out of true
if you are killing frames, also knurling is something that would weaken
a crown and is something that is definatly not needed for a trials uni.
But yeah your suggestion of a long seat tube seems like a good one, I
would imagine that that is probably a large thing that most trials
frames havn't even touched.


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ok, I thinkt he reason why there aren't long neck trials frames is
because they would most likely have to have different size choices and
short people still might not fit on them.


maybe extra reinforcers around the seat crown then. If it's for pure
trials a round crown frame will save you alot of bruised knees also.


--
mornish

tobbogonist wrote:
that was neat, now i only have to put it to use.
parents banned my uni due to low school marks so if there are any nerds
out there with a kind heart, i have a psychology assignment that is a
few weeks over due, it is on intelligence.
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ntappin, I'm having this custom frame made because I have seen faults on
previous frames. Joe Hodges is having a chip in on this frame design,
as he wants a frame that won't break on him, even though he's getting
an XTP.

However, its just something I wanted to make, so possibly, with more
interest, Iolobikes can custom make some more uni frames for other
people, at an affordable price.

However, i am still stuck on what sort of frame style I want. I don't
think I want the Devil type, I'm kinda thinking between the KH 2005 or
KH2004 frame styles (whatever the proper names are). More suggestions
are welcome.


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Also, I have taken into consideration, the break points and the
weakspots on some trials frames. The Nimbus II frame's weakspot just
below the top of its legs, and the KH 2005's weakspot at the weld
joining the seattube to the rest of the frame.

I'm mainly a trials rider, but really wouldn't mind being able to do a
few flatland moves like 1 footing etc. So I think a flat top is best,
but now comes the hard choice, what kind of flat top do I want?

EDIT: could someone maybe show me pictures and describe what a "single
piece", "hunter style", "reinforced hunter", or "crown style". I
probably know what they are but just haven't really used these terms
often.


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Sponge

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Itake it you want a squareish crown then?

also, does iolobikes make titanium frames? I'm not sure how strong a
titanium frame would be, but it would be aweosme to have a titanium
trials frame


--
mornish

tobbogonist wrote:
that was neat, now i only have to put it to use.
parents banned my uni due to low school marks so if there are any nerds
out there with a kind heart, i have a psychology assignment that is a
few weeks over due, it is on intelligence.
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