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
00:12and 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 products. I was
00:22working with a lot of our athletes. And since then I moved over to the road product team,
00:26specifically managing Tarmac, Aethos, Shiv and LA Sprint. So all the performance road
00:31families we have within the category of Specialized.
00:37So now when you're conceptualizing a bike, you know, the very first steps of starting
00:41that project, what does that look like and how do you go about it?
00:44Typically we start out with some different targets based on the target rider that we
00:47have as well as experience that we're hoping to improve for that rider. And so with a project
00:52like LA Sprint, it's a performance rider. They want speed. They want a fast bike aerodynamically.
00:57They want a bike that's handling really well and how they expect it, as well as a bike
01:00that 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
01:09really validating and understanding how realistic those goals are to fine tune the actual targets
01:15that we have going forward into development.
01:17So 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
01:28targets?
01:29So 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,
01:37doing 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
01:53work on small manufacturing processes that we can as we're moving towards a phase where
01:57we're actually going to create the production CAD or what we're actually moving to create
02:01tools 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
02:10able to 3D print or kind of make a rapid prototype. This one's machined out of ABS to allow us
02:17to then bring it to the wind tunnel and test some of the performance targets we have specifically
02:20with 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
02:30one frame, if we said, hey, we're not really where we want to be aerodynamically, we can
02:33cut it up, we can 3D print other parts and then place on this frame to say, what can
02:37we tweak a little bit to better meet those goals and really take the next steps in the project?
02:43So, with this one, were there any specific learnings that you took that then went into
02:47the final product?
02:48Definitely. So this was a little bit further down the concept phase where it was actually
02:52one of the second prints that we did. And you can see here, there was an adjustment
02:56of the seat stay height. And that was done a little bit more to say, hey, can we get
03:00a little bit more out of the UCI box that we have within this frame? Can we make it
03:03a little bit faster aerodynamically by moving the location of these? At the same time, too,
03:08this project was running in parallel with Tarmac SL7. So we're also learning things
03:12from each end of the project that would kind of change the next steps for the project as
03:16we moved along.
03:17Okay, so we have got here one of the first fully built metal frames that came out of
03:23the Asian factory. What role would have this played?
03:27So when it comes to the first frames that we actually have welded together, there's
03:30a lot of different things that we do. We call them typically looking samples because
03:34you learn a lot from that first process. So whether it's weld alignment or specific
03:40aspects of the frame with cable routing or different things of actually building a bike
03:43with it, it allows us to run through those different steps and then also understand where
03:47we need to change the manufacturing process for some of the tubes or the actual welding
03:52alignment or different aspects of that. So like this frame, for example, you can see
03:56this was done very early on in the process. It was one of the larger frame sizes. And
04:00there's a lot of aspects of the frame that are not in the production version because
04:04we learn things as we go. And it's okay to be able to adjust and make the product better
04:09as 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.
04:19And then what's the next step after this? Where do we go from here?
04:23So as we kind of tweak or ensure that dimensionally this frame meets its requirements, we're able
04:30to then bring it to the test lab and say, does this frame meet the stiffness and structural
04:35requirements that we have for this frame to be the best frame it can be? And that's a
04:40process where you're making a number of samples and testing them to ensure that based on the
04:45material thicknesses across the frame, you're meeting those needs. So there's quite a bit
04:50of work that's done after this. And this is one of many samples that allows us to kind
04:54of tweak and fine tune everything to ensure that we're creating the right product.
04:58So we're on to testing now. Talk to me about what you're doing and how you're doing it
05:03and 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
05:12metrics 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
05:30where the stiffness makes the most sense for that experience that they're going for. And
05:33then additionally, beyond that, we also have a number of standards that relate to the frame's
05:38overall strength and how it will survive over a lifetime of a rider's inputs, whether it's
05:44those fatigue things or the experiences that it might have out on the road to ensure that
05:48it'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?
05:57So typically after you get the first set of results, both the stiffness results as well
06:01as the strength and fatigue results, on a carbon frame, you're adjusting the layup to
06:07either try to meet one set of those targets or adjust something across the frame in order
06:12to get to where you need to be. And with the aluminum frame, we're changing the thickness
06:17of the materials across the frame in order to meet those targets. So that's where we
06:21go back and we basically manufacture other frames to manipulate the frame in a way that
06:27allows us to adjust based on the first set of results that we've received.
06:31So once you've got that final perfect recipe of tube thickness and you're happy with the
06:35geometry of the frame and kind of everything's come together, is it then just a case of pressing
06:40a big green button and kind of putting the whole thing into production?
06:43I wish it was that easy. Yeah. So after we know we're meeting all the project's targets,
06:47so we hit all of our aerodynamic goals, we hit all the frame stiffness goals that we
06:50had and the ride quality, then we also need to make sure we're meeting all those strength
06:55and fatigue goals that we had. So we're meeting all the standards that Specialized has to
06:59understand that this frame is going to be the best frame out there. And as we move into
07:04the next phase, we're going back to the supplier and we're saying, let's make a lot of these
07:09and understand that as you ramp up and you're creating more of these frames, ensuring that
07:14all those welds are consistent, ensuring that the frame dimensions are all consistent across
07:17a larger scale of production. And that's when you know you're really ready to go into
07:21production and ready to get to the next step of the project.
07:24Well, that would be your full production approval.
07:26Yep.
07:27But there's a couple of things that were happening along that time to kind of button
07:32things up. And some of that, as well as ensuring that we're field testing these frames, making
07:37sure that not only in the lab, we're meeting all the targets, we're also meeting them out
07:40on the road. So we're involving a lot of people within the building, as well as some of our
07:43athletes to ensure that this bike meets the needs, not only on paper, but also out on
07:48the road, which is extremely important.
07:49I mean, that's pretty far down in the process. So how much change can the humans out on the
07:54road actually have?
07:55A lot, actually. So it's usually we're field testing when we have a frame that's safe to
08:01ride. 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
08:10what we're seeing in the lab, then we need to make sure we have an action for that.
08:14And that means we might have to take a change and do something to ensure that riders have
08:18the experience that they're expecting out on the road.
08:20Now, one of the most obvious things that everyone sees when they look at a bike is the colour
08:25of it. And obviously, you're going to end up with a whole range of colours for all the
08:29different bikes that you're going to be creating. How does that work?
08:32Yeah. So usually early on in the process, when we have a 3D printed frame, so something
08:36physical that our colours and graphics team can actually take a look at, that's when we
08:40bring them in. So as a product manager, I'll help to set the really the stage for what
08:45this rider is and what the experience is for that rider.
08:48And with that, they'll take that information.
08:50They build out colour palettes based on the year, what's trending in the industry, what's
08:54trending outside of the industry, kind of what that next set of colours will be, as
08:58well as specific graphics or paint techniques we're developing in order to meet the overall
09:04needs of what that experience might be.
09:05So we have a team upstairs that's almost worldwide in some ways because they're really
09:09evaluating everything across the globe to ensure that we're meeting the needs of that rider.
09:13For the Alley Sprint, for example, how many different options would have been created
09:18to then whittle it down to that, you know, the winning bunch?
09:21Yeah, we at the start kind of open it up and let them decide on what's going to be used
09:26with some graphics, what's going to be relatively clean across the entire frame.
09:30And with Alley Sprint, it's one of those families that we try to keep a little bit more
09:34lively because the frameset business is really important for a lot of those riders who want
09:38to build it up and really make it their own based on their own style and look.
09:42So there's a number of different colourways that are maybe a little bit more fun or use
09:46new techniques that we've developed over a year or two to make this frame shine, not
09:51only from the ways that it's been designed by our engineers, but also for the rider who's
09:54looking at it to show their expression.
10:00So there we have it, hopefully you found that really interesting and insightful.
10:04If you've got any questions, do drop them down in the comments below.
10:06If you enjoyed the video, drop a like, subscribe to the channel for more content and I'll see
10:09you again very soon!