Bicycle Mechanics - Another Kickstarter bike project...

This came up in one of those targeted adverts.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fabioputzolu/fabike-the-flexibly-adjustable-bike


Thoughts?

I don't see this as anything unusual. You can turn any derailler ready road frame into a fixie, a single speed or a geared bike and carbon frames are a dime a dozen these days. What's worth investing in? Scam?

It's a solution looking for a problem.

Crowd financing is when a Bank loan wont touch the Idea..

I kinda maybe like the sliding dropouts, though they're anything but revolutionary. However, my personal dislikes are:

- CF frame. Yes, I'm in the minority, but I like long-lasting bikes, and will happily sacrifice 1 Kg of added weight for peace of mind and longevity.
- No disk-brake mounts.
- Yet Another Proprietary BB-crank interface? Screw that.
- Outrageous price for the frameset. Maybe you CF guys are used to this sort of ridic, but not me.

You can turn any derailler ready road frame into a fixie, a single speedNo.

I do like the hub, but not at that price. Unless it's well machined, in which case I might look into it. but am unhappy about the fully-aluminum construction. The splines should have been made of steel.

Proprietary parts = fail. But that's just me.

Clean design, like the convertible dropout spacing... but that's about it.

For the same money, I'd get a decent road bike and a FG/SS pose-cycle.

:lol: at the whole Kickstarter concept.

let the market decide and the strong companies survive.

it's part of the evolutionary process that results in a good product. one could argue that the traditional process is conservative/iterative, but i argue that's for the better.

No.
Yes. Choosing compatible gear combinations and/or half links will let you use a road frame with vertical dropouts as a fixie, etc. However, you do make a point and maybe I should have phrased it that any derailleur ready road bike with horizontal dropouts can be easily made into any of the above combinations.

The design is clean and attractive, I like it and would't mind having one. I'm not sure if I spent that much for a bike that the adjustments would be that much a factor you could buy several good bikes for that amount.

I expected the geometry to be adjustable reading the first part. That would have been pretty cool.

Not that there isn't room for innovation in the cycling industry, but this designer lost me when they placed more emphasis on 'clean lines' than on functionality. Those proprietary brakes that mount behind the fork are really absurd, as anyone who has spent more than a few minutes working on a tri-bike knows. Same thing with the integrated seat mast. These proprietary features go contrary to the idea of a 'flexible' bike.

I think the idea has some merit though, if it were divorced from the more ridiculous design 'features.' A frame with sliding dropouts that can be adjusted for width, clearance for wider tires, maybe disc mounts. It would be a slightly fancier Cross Check. Even carbon fiber isn't necessarily a bad idea, you can make a good bike (even a durable bike) out of carbon fiber just like you can make a frail and flimsy bike out of steel.

I expected the geometry to be adjustable reading the first part. That would have been pretty cool.

Have you heard of the GT Tachyon (http://velospace.org/node/37959)?

Have you heard of the GT Tachyon (http://velospace.org/node/37959)?

Or any of a number of downhill bikes these days...

Yes.............. However, you do make a point and maybe I should have phrased it that any derailleur ready road bike with horizontal dropouts can be easily made into any of the above combinations.

Eccentric hubs. You were right the first time. Prolly not worth doing, but it can be done.

- Yet Another Proprietary BB-crank interface? Screw that.


I'm not a fan of BB30, but it's completely non-proprietary. It's a free international standard, anyone is free to make a BB30 frame/bottom bracket.

After sitting through the video I was underwhelmed. Interesting concept, but multi-tools usually sucketh greatly. I'm willing to bet you could buy a fixie/single speed, road bike, and hybrid and have three bikes that worked better & cost less. Only advantage is what every multi-tool has: easy to store. Why can I see a rich noncyclist buying is Fabike and storing it permanently?

And the looks don't really move me or appear much different than what I can pick up at Performance bike.

Frame design pretty much was perfected over a 100 years ago with the double-diamond. There's been a lot of details that have improved, but the basic bike came together a long time ago. Real break-throughs have been few.

:lol: at the whole Kickstarter concept.

let the market decide and the strong companies survive.

it's part of the evolutionary process that results in a good product. one could argue that the traditional process is conservative/iterative, but i argue that's for the better.

That is eventually what happens, but businesses need money/capital to get started, to run, and to expand. Startups can be funded by personal savings, bank loans, investments from friends and family, venture capital, private or public stock offerings, etc.. Kickstarter is another web-enabled mechanism for raising startup capital. Like any of the other methods, the potential investor must weight the relative risk/reward and decide.

Kickstarter is another web-enabled mechanism for raising startup capital. Like any of the other methods, the potential investor must weight the relative risk/reward and decide.
I realize it's a relatively new financing technique but I wonder if there is any history of it's success. Has any successful start-up gotten its initial financing this way? I tend to think it's tried only when, as feitsbob put it; " Crowd financing is when a Bank loan wont touch the Idea.. ". Has it ever worked?

Actually I kinda like this, and the last 14 pound Italian bike I saw was $14,000 last year. Problem is - I already have too many bikes :notamused:

Kickstarter has at least the advantage of reaching a large number of potential customers quickly. But aside from that - even the greatest idea in the world is at the mercy of whether consumers can actually recognize it for what it is. I doubt very much that if 'coffee' or 'beer' had initially showed up in something like 'Kickstarter', that there would have been any backers.

*yawn*

Have you heard of the GT Tachyon (http://velospace.org/node/37959)?

Nope never have. I was imagining adjustable headtube angle and length, seat tube angle, maybe adjustable rear triangle, and possibly quick-connect shifters and DR for quick and easy conversion to fixed and single-speed. "Fully Adjustable" and "convertible" just brings that to mind somehow.

Sliding vertical dropouts are pretty common, these days. They usually have disk brake tabs, on the left one. They're great for letting people choose or switch between geared or ss/fg on the same frame. Not sure what the point of going so non standard on the rest of the bike is.

That is eventually what happens, but businesses need money/capital to get started, to run, and to expand. Startups can be funded by personal savings, bank loans, investments from friends and family, venture capital, private or public stock offerings, etc.. Kickstarter is another web-enabled mechanism for raising startup capital. Like any of the other methods, the potential investor must weight the relative risk/reward and decide.

IMHO, if they can't get their initial idea financed though a bank it may not be the best business-driven idea. The "kickstarter" concept is just jumping on the "social crowdsourcing" concept and will go the way of groupon (i.e. lifespan of 3-5 years maximum.)

I realize it's a relatively new financing technique but I wonder if there is any history of it's success. Has any successful start-up gotten its initial financing this way? I tend to think it's tried only when, as feitsbob put it; " Crowd financing is when a Bank loan wont touch the Idea.. ". Has it ever worked?

My kids have "invested" in a couple of musical groups through kickstarter. Both groups raised enough to produce their first CD (a copy of which was given to each investor) and one of them went on to get signed to a recording contract. My kids liked the music and enjoyed playing a part in helping them get their music out to the marketplace.

My kids have "invested" in a couple of musical groups through kickstarter. Both groups raised enough to produce their first CD (a copy of which was given to each investor) and one of them went on to get signed to a recording contract. My kids liked the music and enjoyed playing a part in helping them get their music out to the marketplace.
Other than getting a CD, this sounds more like a charitable contribution than an "investment". Did the backers of the group that got a contract get any return on their money?

Other than getting a CD, this sounds more like a charitable contribution than an "investment".
Yes, indeed, most if not all kickstarter projects are, in essence, a "charity" of sorts. Nobody is supposed to get anything near their money's worth. They literally help out a pet project, because they want the product, project or charity to start. Yes, they can (but don't have to) get "perks", but those do not cover the money amount that is ...donated.

I wasn't talking about the bottom bracket. I thought I was clear when I said "BB-crank interface", but if I wasn't: bottom bracket to crank interface.

EDIT: we certainly agree on BB30, though.

The crankset is indeed unusual with it's "versatility," but I don't see anything unusual or proprietary in regard to the "BB-crank interface."

Copy and paste regarding the crankset/bb:

"The crankset has been designed for a single chainring that will be fitted for both a road and a track chain.

The main features are: BB30 technology, adjustable chain ring chainline 42 mm/43.5 mm, cranks lengths available in 165 mm, 170 mm and 175 mm. Chain ring 46T. Anodized black with customizable locking bolts color: red, yellow, green, blue, violet.

The FABIKE crankset will be made out of 7075 aluminium alloy (ergal) and will set the scales down at only 650 gr/1.43 pounds chain ring, spindle and bolts included."

Regarding Kickstarter, the only case I'm familiar with that's bike-related is the one with Volagi's Viaje. Volagi is relatively new brand that gained some attention with their disc brake equipped, full carbon road bikes. Soon after their initial startup, they were sued by Specialized in a highly publicized case. I don't know all the facts, but it seems likely they were near their limit financially, particularly with the legal costs of the lawsuit, but wanted to introduce a new, steel-framed model that featured disc brakes and their "longbow flexstays." To obtain the funding for the production of the new model (called the Viaje I believe) they used Kickstarter, and promised the contributors to the program dibs on one of the early steel bikes. There may be other perks for the contributors, I don't know. It seems they did raise enough money to fund the new model, but I'm not sure of the details.

^^I dunno what you're talking about, well biked.

Ditto, wroomwroomoops. :D

But seriously, what's proprietary about the "bb-crank interface" on this bike?

Well, technically speaking, it isn't proprietary,

:thumb:

Now we're getting somewhere. :)

Other than getting a CD, this sounds more like a charitable contribution than an "investment". Did the backers of the group that got a contract get any return on their money?

They contributed $10 and got a CD. That was the deal going in.