How are bikes made? It's a question we've all asked, but how does a bike go from being an idea to being a design on a computer to then becoming a physical product? How does the process of making a bike work?
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00:00So I've just jumped inside and I'm joined by Cameron Piper. Can you just introduce yourself
00:13and tell us a little bit about what you do here at Specialized?
00:15Sure. So I joined Specialized almost eight years ago. I was running our in-house wind
00:19tunnel for about two and a half years, working to develop our aerodynamic product as I was
00:23working with a lot of our athletes. And since then I moved over to the road product team,
00:27specifically managing Tarmac, Aethos, Shiv and LA Sprint. So all the performance road
00:32families we have within the category of Specialized.
00:38So now when you're conceptualizing a bike, you know, the very first steps of starting
00:42that project, what does that look like and how do you go about it?
00:45Typically we start out with some different targets based on the target rider that we
00:48have as well as experience that we're hoping to improve for that rider. And so with a project
00:53like LA Sprint, it's a performance rider. They want speed. They want a fast bike aerodynamically.
00:58They want a bike that's handling really well and how they expect it, as well as a bike
01:01that rides really well when it comes to a race experience or when they're training.
01:05So we'll start off by setting those goals for the project and spend a number of months
01:10really validating and understanding how realistic those goals are to fine tune the actual targets
01:16that we have going forward into development.
01:18So then from that point, what's the next step? Is it kind of a CAD process or how do
01:23you then take it forwards from once you've kind of analyzed and set out those initial
01:29targets?
01:30So throughout that whole entire concept phase, we're really taking some older projects and
01:33learnings that we've had from those and maybe cutting them up, testing the wind tunnel,
01:38doing different things to really prototype and understand the different performance targets
01:41that we set for. And throughout that whole process, an engineer or designer is also working
01:46on the CAD or the 3D for the new bike, which allows us to then 3D print those models or
01:54work on small manufacturing processes that we can as we're moving towards a phase where
01:58we're actually going to create the production CAD or what we're actually moving to create
02:02tools with and then test the overall frame's structure.
02:05When we're actually through part of the concept phase and we have rough 3D planned out, we're
02:11able to 3D print or kind of make a rapid prototype. This one's machined out of ABS to allow us
02:18to then bring it to the wind tunnel and test some of the performance targets we have specifically
02:21with aerodynamics. Also, by able to do this, we're able to hold onto a frame physically,
02:26which can tell you a lot about a project. And then at the same time, too, with this
02:31one frame, if we said, hey, we're not really where we want to be aerodynamically, we can
02:34cut it up. We can 3D print other parts and then place on this frame to say, what can
02:38we tweak a little bit to better meet those goals and really take the next steps in the project?
02:44So with this one, were there any specific learnings that you took that then went into the final product?
02:49Definitely. So this was a little bit further down the concept phase where it was actually
02:53one of the second prints that we did. And you can see here, there was an adjustment
02:57of the seat stay height. And that was done a little bit more to say, hey, can we get
03:01a little bit more out of the UCI box that we have within this frame? Can we make it
03:04a little bit faster aerodynamically by moving the location of these? At the same time, too,
03:09this project was running in parallel with Tarmac SL7. So we're also learning things
03:13from each end of the project that would kind of change the next steps for the project as
03:17we moved along.
03:18Okay, so we have got here one of the first fully built metal frames that came out of
03:24the Asian factory. What role would have this played?
03:28So when it comes to the first frames that we actually have welded together, there's
03:31a lot of different things that we do. We call them typically looking samples because
03:35you learn a lot from that first process. So whether it's weld alignment or specific
03:41aspects of the frame with cable routing or different things of actually building a bike
03:44with it, it allows us to run through those different steps and then also understand where
03:48we need to change the manufacturing process for some of the tubes or the actual welding
03:53alignment or different aspects of that. So like this frame, for example, you can see
03:57this was done very early on in the process. It was one of the larger frame sizes. And
04:01there's a lot of aspects of the frame that are not in the production version because
04:05we learn things as we go. And it's okay to be able to adjust and make the product better
04:10as you go. So your different cable, ICR grommets are no longer required because we moved internal
04:14routing in certain areas of the frame or made this front trailer hanger completely removable.
04:20And then what's the next step after this? Where do we go from here?
04:24So as we kind of tweak or ensure that dimensionally this frame meets its requirements, we're able
04:31to then bring it to the test lab and say, does this frame meet the stiffness and structural
04:36requirements that we have for this frame to be the best frame it can be? And that's a
04:41process where you're making a number of samples and testing them to ensure that based on the
04:46material thicknesses across the frame, you're meeting those needs. So there's quite a bit
04:51of work that's done after this. And this is one of many samples that allows us to kind
04:55of tweak and fine tune everything to ensure that we're creating the right product.
04:59So we're on to testing now. Talk to you about what you're doing and how you're doing it
05:04and what processes are involved in testing a frame.
05:06Right. So we spoke a little bit of FEA. FEA helps us to understand those rider-based stiffness
05:13metrics that we're aiming for based on the tube shapes. But now we get to the point where
05:16we can physically test a frame in the test lab to understand if we're meeting those stiffness
05:20targets. And those stiffness targets are different targets across the frame that we've developed
05:26over a number of years, both in the lab, but also with real world riders to understand
05:31where the stiffness makes the most sense for that experience that they're going for. And
05:34then additionally, beyond that, we also have a number of standards that relate to the frame's
05:39overall strength and how it will survive over a lifetime of a rider's inputs, whether it's
05:45those fatigue things or the experiences that it might have out on the road to ensure that
05:49it's safe to ride and will last for that rider's entire lifetime, really.
05:54So that's lab testing. What's the next step in that process?
05:58So typically after you get the first set of results, both the stiffness results as well
06:02as the strength and fatigue results, on a carbon frame, you're adjusting the layup to
06:08either try to meet one set of those targets or adjust something across the frame in order
06:13to get to where you need to be. And with the aluminum frame, we're changing the thickness
06:18of the materials across the frame in order to meet those targets. So that's where we
06:22go back and we basically manufacture other frames to manipulate the frame in a way that
06:28allows us to adjust based on the first set of results that we've received.
06:32So once you've got that final perfect recipe of tube thickness and you're happy with the
06:36geometry of the frame and kind of everything's come together, is it then just a case of pressing
06:41a big green button and kind of putting the whole thing into production?
06:43I wish it was that easy. So after we know we're meeting all the project's targets,
06:48so we hit all of our aerodynamic goals, we hit all the frame stiffness goals that we
06:51had and the ride quality, then we also need to make sure we're meeting all those strength
06:56and fatigue goals that we had. So we're meeting all the standards that Specialized has to
07:00understand that this frame is going to be the best frame out there. And as we move into
07:05the next phase, we're going back to the supplier and we're saying, let's make a lot of these
07:10and understand that as you ramp up and you're creating more of these frames, ensuring that
07:15all those welds are consistent, ensuring that the frame dimensions are all consistent across
07:18a larger scale of production. And that's when you know you're really ready to go into
07:22production and ready to get to the next step of the project.
07:25What's that?
07:26That would be your full production approval. But there's a couple of things that were happening
07:30along that time to kind of button things up. And some of that, as well as ensuring that
07:37we're field testing these frames, making sure that not only in the lab, we're meeting all
07:39the targets, we're also meeting them out on the road. So we're involving a lot of people
07:43within the building, as well as some of our athletes to ensure that this bike meets the
07:46needs, not only on paper, but also out on the road, which is extremely important.
07:50I mean, that's pretty far down in the process. So how much change can the humans out on the
07:55road actually have?
07:56A lot, actually. So it's usually we're field testing when we have a frame that's safe to
08:02ride. We know it's meeting all of our standards when it comes to the strength and fatigue.
08:06And at that point, if there's something that comes up that maybe speaks differently to
08:11what we're seeing in the lab, then we need to make sure we have an action for that. And
08:15that means we might have to take a change and do something to ensure that riders have
08:19the experience that they're expecting out on the road.
08:21Now one of the most obvious things that everyone sees when they look at a bike is the colour
08:26of it. And obviously, you're going to end up with a whole range of colours for all the
08:30different bikes that you're going to be creating. How does that work?
08:33Yeah, so usually early on in the process when we have a 3D printed frame, so something physical
08:37that our colours and graphics team can actually take a look at, that's when we bring them
08:41in. So as a product manager, I'll help to set the stage for what this rider is and what
08:46the experience is for that rider. And with that, they'll take that information, they
08:51build out colour palettes based on the year, what's trending in the industry, what's trending
08:55outside of the industry, kind of what that next set of colours will be, as well as specific
09:00graphics or paint techniques we're developing in order to meet the overall needs of what
09:05that experience might be. So we have a team upstairs that's almost worldwide in some ways
09:09because they're really evaluating everything across the globe to ensure that we're meeting
09:13the needs of that rider.
09:14For the Alley Sprint, for example, how many different options would have been created
09:19to then whittle it down to that, you know, the winning bunch?
09:22Yeah, we at the start kind of open it up and let them decide on what's going to be used
09:27with some graphics, what's going to be relatively clean across the entire frame. And with Alley
09:32Sprint, it's one of those families that we try to keep a little bit more lively because
09:36the frame set business is really important for a lot of those riders who want to build
09:39it up and really make it their own based on their own style and look. So there's a
09:44number of different colourways that are maybe a little bit more fun or use new techniques
09:47that we've developed over a year or two to make this frame shine, not only from the ways
09:52that it's been designed by our engineers, but also for the rider who's looking at it
09:56to show their expression.
10:01So there we have it. Hopefully you found that really interesting and insightful. If you've
10:05got any questions, do drop them down in the comments below. If you enjoyed the video,
10:08drop a like, subscribe to the channel for more content, and I'll see you again very soon.