Bicycle Frame Building for Engineering Undergraduates

The common safety bicycle design first appeared in Brittan in the 1870s.In the 130 years since, engineers and craftsmen have created hundreds of new bicycle designs, fabrication methods, materials and components.However, the simplistic diamond frame design has survived, is still commercially available and fully functional.The bicycle itself provides a rich learning platform in which to illustrate topics such as design, manufacturing process planning, tooling, materials, and the design/build process.This paper gives a status report on the development of a course that teaches engineering undergraduates the process of building a bicycle frame.Learning opportunities are described and methods and equipment are briefly explained.This is a work in progress.