Thursday 18 February 2016

OUGD503 Individual Practice, Brompton Bikes - Bike Frame (Studio Brief One)

The next step was to create a frame for the bike. This also took a very long time, as I had to roll up paper and glue it in a very tight roll. This was actually a lot more difficult than it looks, as the longer the paper length, the more difficult it was to keep both ends of the paper tight. I started by creating the supports that were attached to the wheels. This was a very difficult process, as a lot of the rolls of paper had to be bent in specific ways to match with the look of an actual Brompton Bike. I tried to get the shape of a Brompton by bending the frame into the original shape, which was difficult alone as the paper was very thick and didn't either wouldn't bend or would bend far too much.


Once the wheel frames were created, I tried to create the crossbar for the bike. This is the final design I came up with, and it had a special feature in that the front wheel could be turned just like an actual bike. 


I then created handlebars for the bike. It was actually a lot more difficult than I originally thought to attach the handlebars to the front frame, however I managed in the end by fraying the front frame into two pieces, and wrapping the pieces around the handlebars. 


The next step was joining the bike to the back wheel. This was also insanely difficult, and in the end the only way I could get the bike to stick together and be stable was by using super glue, which was very messy. 


I forgot to take photos of the process of making the pedals, however it took a very long time as it was even more intricate than the wheels, and only a smaller scale so very difficult. I originally wanted the pedals to spin like an actual bike, however it was far to small to be possible - if I had created a bigger bike, I feel like this would've been achievable. However, the fact that the pedals didn't spin gave me an idea for a concept: You don't have to pedal in Leeds as much as it's all downhill/uphill. This is the frame after attachment to the pedals and bike seat (minus the seat).


This is the final bicycle design. I think it's very successful and will definitely be featured in my stop motion. It does also stand up on its own, however it's difficult to do so, meaning I will have to prop it against something when filming to make it easier.


Overall creating the bike alone took me around a month, which is a lot longer than I originally thought it would, meaning the next step (creating the city) will have to be as quick as physically possible, as otherwise it won't get finished in time.

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