2sixstreet

You going to bother posting a time and place or do we just guess it again?

Is this another ride organisation where you don't actually turn up?

Not very comforting when two postmen on here say that parcels are treated carelessly. Do you kick your parcels to their addresses?

To add to Bigmans post, scribe a line between each hole and then centre punch the middle of the line (or make a template as said). Hand drill works fine if you have a vice (use soft jaws or a rag). Pilot drill say 4mm and then move up to 10mm or whatever you want to end up with. If you only have a 10mm chuck try and find someone with larger drill bits with the shank machined down.

Will be there unless i'm at home knitting

Where and when are we meeting?

Forecast is chance of snow. Do we need to carry tyre chains?

I'll make the effort at some point.

Firstly: What new frame? I've snapped a few BB's including a Platinum Pro. Have been running a MOE Isis for ages now and it's bullet proof in comparison. Worth considering. I may have a Giga kicking about at home if interested.

Since when was this an odd number?

I think thats DHCP? You obviously know more than I do so I'll be quiet now. Since he hasnt responded we'll just chat amongst ourselves. If he's still connected i'm sure you'll get a response to your heterosexually challenged remark.

I had an IP conflict between two machines (not networked but running from the same router). They were static so thats the reason I had the conflict (assigned to the same IP). A new PS3 accessing the router may have also been confusing things. I changed them both quite easily through Network Connections. I can explain it better if this is what you are after.

Cant you go into your Network Connections and change the properties of the internet protocol? You need to make sure your IP isnt selected automatically and it has to be within a certain range.

Any particular reason you've chosen Solidworks? A few have mentioned Catia and Pro but also consider Inventor. It doesnt take long to learn the basics of modelling as most packages are quite intuitive. The best advice I can give is think about how you want to create something before doing the first sketch.

Yep forgot about that point. The less welding you need to do with a one off process using a hydroformed tube makes it less susceptible to weld stresses and heat affected zones etc.

Perfect! Just like the rider.

Thanks mate, havent had a good roo steak for years and now I want one! Wallaby tasted like shit but you can eat it right Mick? Where have you disappeared to these days?

I'm sure it would look great if it didn't look like it was under water.

Hydroforming can be applied to many things but since you understand its principles you will realise its not viable to every industry. It definitely leans itself to mass produced items like sub-frame components (complex tubular/box section shapes) in the auto industry. It basically comes down to volume. For the one-off dies, extreme pressures and material costs you want to churn out thousands of the same part to recover your setup cost - good for cars, not so good for trials. I think Giant were one of the first bike companies to use hydroforming and as you know they are a dime a dozen. Correct me if wrong but Specialized and the like all followed - all big name, big volume companies. I can't see our Peruvian friend adopting it any time soon for example. The benefits are volume driven. Ignoring the cost and if parts could freely be made to any shape the advantage is certainly strength. I'll use the downtube as an example where it joins the headtube. Typically for alloy frames a gusset is introduced here for strength. Consider the time and effort to make a tube, weld it on, make a gusset and weld it on, repeat. If you can hydroform a single piece with this strength built in then its much faster for production without adding parts for strength. Saves weight as well. I'm not sure how they maintain wall thickness on hydroformed parts but would imagine it would be consistent. You can essentially design a part to any shape you want first go with the maximum benefit - FEA would be handy here. Not sure what level you're at or how in depth you need to go but you could make a simple spreadsheet showing a manufacturing time scale for single components. eg a semi-trailing arm for a car made in one piece vs fabricating it from a few bits of pressed steel. You have to add bosses for pivots, cross bars, mounting points etc plus welding and setting up in a jig - the hydroformed one just needs a bit of post machining and it has maintained its shape every time. Bike frames have less time advantage. It comes down to the old rule for just about anything. Cheap, Strong, Light - pick 2. I hope that gives you a bit of food for thought and you can expand on it.

Is that fixed in the same position all the time? And you need to unbolt it to remove the wheel? Looks over complicated and vulnerable to me but good idea.

Screwfix and rs components do online ordering. Ebay is often a good source for small quantities too. If you cant get the length you need just buy longer and cut them down.

Head to B & Q. The have lengths of small section hollow tube in steel or alu for a couple of quid. Or, if you send me a SAE and how much you need i'll cut some that I have.

Why didnt you just ask Fat Jeffers seeing as he knows Bristol and you put him on the list.

Haha, yeah there was one of Craig as well if you want to see it. Awesome ride, really enjoyed it.

... and a random one of Eskimo