All-Composite Bicycle Frames - Past, Present, and Future · Trek 5500 OCLV Produced in Higher Quantities and Lower Costs Putting Kestrel Out of Business Trek’s John Burke, Tom Albers,

Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering

Utah SAMPE Chapter

"All-Composite Bicycle Frames -

Past, Present, and Future"Ron Nelson, ClosedMold Composites

(Formerly President of Radius Eng.)

Thursday, March 22nd, 2001

Salt Lake City, Utah

All-composite Bicycle Frames Don’t Have Metallic Lugs

• Metallic Lug Elimination Reduces Weight

• Metal Lug Tube and Lug Diameters Are Smaller

Than in an All-composite Frame

– Minimum Wall Thickness Manufacturing Requirements for

Metal Lugs and Need to Reduce Lug Weight

• Composite Structures Use Larger Space Envelopes

Than Metal Because of Lower Density

• Mismatch Results Between Optimum Space

Envelope Between the Metal Lugs and the

Composite Components

“Production” Bicycles Impact the Consuming and

Economic Communities

• Production Is At Least 500 a Year, If Not 1000’s

• Significant Market Impact Means Should Be

Considered in New Product Development Efforts

– Generally Safe, Strong, and Reliable, I.E. Meet US CPSC

Tests

– Product Has Met More “Hurdles” Because Production

Startup Funding Was Spent, and Independent People Spend

Money to Buy Them

– You and I Can Afford “Production” All-composite Frames

Because Production Volumes Drastically Reduce Price

All-composite Bicycle Product and Inventors

• 1960 Bowden Spacelander, Bowden

• Huffy Custom Frames, Bishop

• Kestrel, Trimble

• Trek 5000, Duplessis

• LeMonde, Calfee

• Trek 5500, Nelson

• Radius HIR, Nelson

Patent Chronology and Production Products

Inventor Assignee

U.S. Patent

Number

Patent Filing

Date

Patent Issue

Date

Earliest Filing

Date for

Associated

Patents Product Line

Nelson Et. Al. Radius

Engineerin

g

na 5/29/97 na na none yet

Nelson Et. Al. Trek

Bicycle

Co.

5624519 5/29/92 2/29/97 na Trek 5500, Trek's Line of OCLV

frames

Calfee na 5160862 5/31/91 11/3/92 3/9/89 Sold under Lemond name for a

whileDuplessis na 5080385 5/25/90 1/14/92 11/14/90 Trek 5000, Trek's 1998 line of

all-composite frames

Trimble na 4986949 11/14/89 1/22/91 6/16/88 Kestrel line of bicycles, Radius

worked with in 88'-89'

Bishop et. al. Huffy

Bicycle

4900049 10/18/88 2/13/90 na Huffy semi-custom all-composite

frames

1960 Bowden Spacelander

First All-Composite Bicycle Frame


Patent


Was a Commercial Failure

• Monocoque Fiberglass

• Two Halves Joined at

Midplane

• 50 Lb.

• $90.00 Retail

• About 500 Made

• "the bicycle was a

monumental frustration ….

the whole episodes cost him

fortunes"

Custom Huffy Frames/bikes Cost Roughly $10,000

Development Was Marketing Driven

Production of Cycle Composites Inc.’s Kestrel

Frames Shook the Industry

Kestrel Probably the First All-composite Frame Made in

Relatively Large Quantities, >1000/yr.

Radius Worked With CCI From

Mid-88’ to Mid-89’

Reported That This Machine Was Still in Use in Watsonville

About a 1 Ago Making Forks, Using Same Process From 89’.

CCI Declined to License Radius’ Technologies Freeing

Radius to Work With Trek 1 Year Later

Jim Colegrove/Radius,He Later Worked

At Trek During and After Radius TransferredTechnology to Trek

Key Players at CCI and My Impressions

• Brent Trimble– original inventor

• Rich Hollingsworth– A key in making it work in production

• Bevil Hogg– president CCI, came from Trek where he was a key in the

Trek 5000 product

• Tom French– V.P.?, co-owner prior to Schwinn sale?

• Preston Sandusky– longtime engineer and current owner?

Calfee Frame Got Publicity Just As the Trek 5500 Was

Being Introduced

Stunningly Simple

Design Concept and Process

Similar to Old Brazed Lugged Steel Frame

The Trek 5000 - 1988 Model Year Frame

Very Similar to Kestrel in Construction

4,828,781 Duplessis

Duplessis Patents Are Nearly Identical to Trimble

Patents.

Rear Triangle Secondarily Bonded Contrary

to Patent Application and Different From Kestrel

Trek 5000 Looked Similar to Kestrel

Inside of Trek 5000 Filled With Parasitic

Materials to Aid Molding

Improvement in Quality of Trek 5500

Is Obvious and Very Pronounced

Trek 5500 OCLV Produced in Higher Quantities and Lower

Costs Putting Kestrel Out of Business

Trek’s John Burke, Tom Albers, and Bob Read made a big commitment on the new product line only a couple of years after the commercial failure of the Trek 5000. It required a clear strategic vision and it paid off.

Nelson Et. Al. Patent for OCLV

Product Line Assigned to Trek Per License

Radius-Trek Development & Licensing

Contract Signed July 90’ and Production Started in September 91’

……..Only 14 Months to Develop and Implement Brand New Product and Manufacturing Process…….

Trek 5500 OCLV Key Engineers

Committed to Project

DimitrijeMilovich

Ron Nelson

John Short

Rest break during “Product Testing” on Desolation Ridge, Above SLC, Utah

Proud Radius Engineers With One of the First Frames

In Waterloo

Late Bob Read of Trek BicycleThe “Heart & Soul” of New

Bike Project

Trek OCLV 5500 “First Assembly”

Was Exciting MomentJohn Short “Mingling”

With Production Personnel

Preplied Quasi-isotropic Prepreg Die Cut Into Multiply

“Preform” Shapes for Loading Into Mold

Quasi-isotropic Die Cut Preforms

Are Pushed Into Mold

Bladder Molded Head Lug Cross Section Is

Typical Construction

Bladder Inflated Bladder Deflated

Mold

Mold Mold

Mold

Socket Joint Key to Overall Manufacture

“Butt Line” Designed for Positive Precise Positioning During Frame AssemblyTaper in Plug Designed to

Prevent Shear Failure

“Socket” “Plug” on MoldedLugs Only

Taper Angle Has to Be LessThan a Critical Value

Monostay Yoke Bladders

Thin ThermoplasticBladder

Layups Via Finite Element Analysis at Radius

(Pierre Minguet – EIFEL, Mountain Bike Swingarm Too)

Milovich & Nelson Surprised and Happy

After Lance’s August 1999 Tour Win

Rigid (9900/9800) and Rear Suspended (9500) Mountain Bike

Models Introduced 2nd Model Year

Fischer Bike Line Owned by Trek

Significant Cost Reductions and Performance

Improvements Can Be Made to 1991 Technology

“holy smoke…those aren’t marcelle waves……those are Horseshoe Waves!”

Deadly Red-Hot “Horse Shoe” Waves

Fiber Paths Convoluted

Successor 1997 Technology

Termed High-Interleave-Ratio Construction

This Patent Owned by

Radius Engineering, Inc.

New Design Flexibility Allows SocketsIn Lugs for Lower Cost andCurved “Plugged” Tubes

Public Nelson Et. Al. Patent Application

Illustration of 1991 OCLV Technology8 or 12 plys at

0/+45/90 degrees

Mold

Die cutpreforms

Mold

“Net” sidepreform

“Lap” sidepreform

1991 Technology – Cont’d

Full Thickness Multiply Preform “Pushed” Into Female Cavity

Tending to Form Wrinkles

Mold

Mold

Mold

Bladder






Seam at Overlap Between Two Halves

“Net” side

“Lap” side

Seam

“Lap”


Sockets on Lugs Difficult Because

Overlaps Machined Away

Overlap Material Removed to Form

Round Socket

Socket SideOf Joint

Plug SideOf Joint

Socket SideOf Joint

Socket SideOf Joint

1997 Technology “Pulls” Flexible One or Two

Ply Preforms Over Male Shape Reducing Wrinkles

Core Removal Step in 1997 Technology

This Patent Owned by

Radius Engineering, Inc.

1997 Technology Produces

High-Interleave-Ratio Construction

Interleave Ratio Is Length of “Seam” (Path From Inside Part to Outside of Part

Without Crossing Fibers) Divided by Part Wall Thickness

Exceptionally High Compressive Strain Delivered in

Frontal Load Test of 1997 Technology Head Lug

1997 Technology Construction Big Improvement

Over 1991 Technology

• Fundamentally Different Structure

– Structurally Weak Crack-prone "Laps" Joining Lug Halves

Eliminated

– Near Seamless Construction Significantly Lighter and Stiffer

• Fiber Waves and Wrinkling in the Lug Walls

Essentially Eliminated

– Major Source of Fatigue Cracking and Lug Failure

Big Improvement Over 1991 Technology – Cont’d

• Carbon Lugs and Components 25% Lighter While Being 10%

Stiffer

– Demonstrated in Side-by-side Testing of Batch Runs of Lugs

Made With Old and New Construction

– Due Primarily to Elimination of Laps Between Part Halves

and Laminate Wrinkling.

• As-molded Pinhole Surface Defects and Laminate Wrinkle

(Folds) Induced Resin-rich Surface Defects Are Effectively

Eliminated


• 35%-50% Cost Savings in Prepreg Materials Alone

– Much Lower Scrape Rate and Lighter Finished Component Weight

– Old Complex Preform Shapes Produced Large Scrape Rates

– New Simpler Shapes Allow Near Zero Cutting Scrape

• Fewer Tools and Presses For Given Production Rate

– One Half to One Fourth the Number of Tools and Presses

– Part Lay-up Occurs Separate From Molding

• Allows Greater Design Flexibility

– Plug and Socket Joints to Be Configured and located As Needed

– Fiber Orientation and Laminate Wall Thickness Tailored Throughout

Lug

• As Dr. Dan Said "Those Aren't Marcelle Waves…Those Are

Horseshoe Waves“

• Small Marcelle Waves Are Known to Reduce Strength

Substantially, But These Waves Aren’t Small

• Specific Strength Is up 10% while Specific Stiffness Is up 30%

– Easier to Control and Improve Stiffness More Than to Improve

Static Strength

– Fiber Waviness elimination Explains Higher Stiffness


No more Horseshoe waves

50% Cost Reduction in All-Composite Frames

in Next 2-3 Years

• Frames Will Be Lighter, Stiffer, and Stronger Than

Trek's Current OCLV Line

• More Durable, and Far Less Prone to Experiencing

Cracking

• Lower End Retail Move to Roughly $700

– Quadruple Sales Volume?

Next 2-3 Years – Cont’d

• Large Price Reduction in All Composite Frames

Problem for Large Bike Companies

– Multiple Product Lines Defined by Different Frame Materials

– Improvement in One Product Line Not As Important As Effect

on Company As Whole

• Cheaper All Composite Frames Could Wreck Havoc

With Existing Aluminum Product Lines

• So a New Low Cost All Composite Line Would

Cannibalize Allot of Existing Sales

Within a Decade Another 50% Cost Reduction

In All-Composite Frames

• The Holy Grail

You Can Buy an All-Composite

Framed Bike in Wal-Mart!!

• Cost Reduction Through

– Change to a Non-prepreg Form of Material

– Automated Process Designed to Eliminate Hand Labor

Bicycle Racing Shortly After Invention of Wheel

Circa. 1972 Omaha Nebraska ABLA Road Race

Junior Division

Senior Division(=

Award Winning Closed-Mold Composite

Sporting Good Products

Olympic Gold Medal Product

Award-Winning Closed-Mold Composite

Sporting Good Product

This presentation will recap developments in all-composite bicycle frames

from the monocoque-fiberglass Bowden Spacelander in 1960, through Lance Armstrong's

1999 Tour de France victory on a stock (1991 Technology) Trek OCLV Frame, to new,

lower-cost and higher-performance technologies for the coming decade. The speaker,

Ron Nelson, invented, developed, and designed Trek Bicycle Company's OCLV line

of road and mountain bicycles and manufacturing process. This included marketing

the design and manufacturing concept to the customer (Trek), negotiation of a long term

licensing contract, and product/process design and development including structural

testing and production setup. This product line was a $6MM business for Trek in first

model year (1992), and grew to roughly $45MM by the fourth production year.

Ron Nelson is also inventor of closed-mold carbon composite products that

won gold medals in the last five Olympics and several other non-Olympic sporting good

products, in addition to the last two Tour de France wins. Ron has been personally

interested in the technical changes in bicycle construction since the early 70's prior to his

winning the Nebraska State Road Racing Championship in 1975. Ron is currently

president of ClosedMold Composites, and recently retired as President and Co-

Founder of Radius Engineering, Inc.

Abstract

Disclaimers (i.e. Ron practicing his legal writing skills)

• The information contained herein is correct to best of my knowledge, and I

would appreciate corrections on names, dates, etc.

• Much of the information contained herein is based on my personal memory, and

some errors are to be expected under such circumstances.

• The people and business entities mentioned herein have not been contacted

regarding this presentation, and therefore neither explicitly nor implicitly endorse

any of the information contained herein.

• Notwithstanding said references to people and business entities contained

herein, many important and sometimes colorful people involved in the

hereinafter described activities have been omitted in the need for brevity,

and I apologize to those people hereto.

• The product names and trade names used herein are the property of their

respective owners.

• It is this author’s belief and informed opinion that this document and associated

presentation contain no proprietary information, and that all information,

documents, references, technical know-how, or other innuendo contained herein

are either; generally known to the public, or known to those skilled and practiced

in the applicable technical arts discussed herein, and notwithstanding the

foregoing may have been disclosed to individuals not bound by secrecy

obligations by a potential owner of said proprietary information.

Documents

All-Composite Bicycle Frames - Past, Present, and Future · Trek 5500 OCLV Produced in Higher Quantities and Lower Costs Putting Kestrel Out of Business Trek’s John Burke, Tom Albers,