Enginerd's project queue

Just an update. Got back to Lincoln for the 4th. I started getting my old room cleaned up at my folks. It was nice to look back over my college course material, scary to figure out how I managed to get through all that:) Then I enjoyed the beer and fireworks. Then had a hellacious day moving a retaining wall for my folks. I haven't been biking since Sunday, that just wiped me out. I'm probly not going to ride for another 4-5 days, I think I did something to my foot after all the clay and rock shoveling. I'll probably setup a ride soon. Got a new seat though:





























As my time here at ISU starts to wind down, I've been trying to remember all the projects I wanna get done before the resources to do those projects are gone. So I've been letting the enginerd run free (I know you probly think I always do that, but I usually try tone it down, scary huh ?!). So I got a list going and I've got all of what I need here in the manufacturing lab, ready to start prototyping and then machining (the ones that need to be).















1) Race Face external BB rebuild. After much searching and advice-getting, I found that I can't even use shim stock to make up the 1 mm difference in shaft OD and bearing ID. So I'm pulling a favor from our awesome, exacting, machinist (I'll need to get him a six-pack or something). He wouldn't be able to stamp the shim stock together, but he said he'd turn me down some brass or aluminum. He raised his eyebrows on the challenge, but he'll pull it off better than I'd ever expect I'm sure. So I'll throw the custom 10mm wide, by 24 mm ID, by 25 mm OD, shim/washers on the axle shaft and the bearing races will finally have a snug-fit, hard surface to ride on. I'm betting that'll get rid of 90% of the slow-spin nature of that piece of CNC'd hardware.















2) VW logo iPod holder (for my GTi's dash). I gotta make on final revision, but it'll look just like the pic. I found the Vdub badge, downloaded the pic, then drew the solid model in Solidworks. Then printed it in black ABS on one of the Rapid Prototyping machines. I'm debating making one for the iPhone dimensions, the new one came out today. I'm just a bit torn yet whether to get it. It'd be great to take pictures of the trail maps, and also use that same device's GPS to get my car to the trailhead.

3) Quick mount fenders. With the 27.5" wheel frame (my old trek) standard fenders didn't fit great. Plus I hated having them on all the time. So I chopped the rear fender in two, and have a design for an adapter that fits the rear brake bridge and pulls the two halves together with one screw. That way I can toss on a full fender set, without removing either wheel.

4) Kelly/Paul inspired shifter mounts. I grabbed my never used front shift lever to get the dimensions and fit right. Then I'll mount it like a Paul thumbie, but locate the lever more like a Kelly take-off system. I've got it designed to mount to the handlebar right behind the brake hoods, within reach of my thumb when my hands are on the brakes. I'll machine that with some aluminum after prototyping a couple designs.

5) Indexing a bar-end shifter. I pulled apart some old XT shifters I had to take a look at the setup. They're 8 speed, but I found you could easily modify them to be 9 speed shifters. This might not happen, but I was trying to get some ideas to make my bar-end shifters index using one of the internal mechanisms from this old shifter pod.

6) I modifying some chain tensioners to work better with forward facing dropouts. I'm gonna machine a round piece to mate up with the back side of the dropout. That will replace the flat piece on the end of the tension screw, keeping the tensioner in place, and applying pressure around the back side of the dropout.

7) Last but not least, I need to make another Ahrens bottle opener.

Send me your suggestions:)