Hello
I recently got into making bikes, and I am currently in the process of building my first bicycle frame. The journey has been very hard, as I had no experience with machining or fabricating before starting. I am pleased to announce though that bike cad has helped make the journey easier by providing a parameteric model with all parameters sorted into simple user interfaces. This parameteric model has helped me refine my bike design in real time as I continued to get guidance from other framebuilders. By using bikecad's ability to produce a 1 to 1 scale poster, I was able to print out a full size reference as I began cutting tube for my first frame. I am hoping to start welding soon, but I still need to get a jig. I greatly appreciate the work Brent has invested into the bikeCad program, and I wish him the best of luck.
Thanks for the kind words! I'm excited to watch as this frame comes together.
Do you have any jigs you recommend for fabrication? I am hoping to find a jig I can easily modify and expand on for tandems and recumbents.
Cobra Framebuilding offers a tandem attachment for the Creator Frame Fixture. I'm not aware of any fixtures that are specifically intended for recumbents as that is a very broad genre with lots of different configurations.
Do you have any opinions on jigs improvised from aluminum extrusion, such as the one seen here? I am seriously considering this as my first jig due to relatively low cost and ease of modification.
https://www.instructables.com/A-simple-bicycle-frame-jig/
That sort of thing is definitely popular and I'd say a particularly good choice if you're going to be getting into some unconventional recumbent designs.