Using 3D printing technology to create a bicycle is no longer particularly new. That doesn’t mean, however, that anytime it happens it’s old news. James Novak took a crack at the bicycle and came up with this very unique frame that allowed him to fully explore and exploit the potential of 3D printing in customized sports equipment.
James Novak is one of those people who can’t stop finding things interesting. Despite already having an undergraduate degree in architecture and a master’s in product design, he still confesses that he doesn’t know what he wants to be when he grows up…if he even decides that growing up is something he wants to do at all. Even while working on a number of high profile projects as a professional industrial designer, he felt the urge to push the envelope.
While playing, he began work on the frame of a bicycle in an effort to determine how far he could exploit the unique nature of 3D printing.
“What I really wanted to achieve was something that takes full advantage of the benefits of 3D printers, especially the ability to create one-off, customizable pieces that may be lighter-weight and stronger than traditional frames through the use of complex lattice structures. More than anything, I’d like my work to be an example of what we should be 3D printing.”
The final bike was printed in paintable resin through i.materialise and then exhibited in Brisbane, Australia. Novak hopes that this won’t be the end of a journey, but rather a beginning.
“A lot of great ideas for the future have come from my experimentation so far, and I’m planning to launch a website selling some of these once I get through my studies. The side will be called edditive.com and will hopefully feature the final resolved fixie frame for sale in the future.”
What do you think about this unique bicycle design, and the method of production? Discuss in the 3D Printed bicycle forum thread on 3DPB.com