By: Sujan Sivaloganathan Room 704

1. By: Sujan Sivaloganathan Room 704 The Life Of A Bicycle!!

2. Design • When building bikes, the parts and materials needed and the form/shape of the bike need to be considered • The form of a bicycle is easy to sketch out, however you need to think about what shape you want it to look like • There are all kinds of bikes in the world including Harley Davidsons and the new ‘bikes of the future’ • When making a sketch, there needs to be a clear shape of the frame and all the measurements of the different parts • The manufacturers need to know the angles and dimensions of the different sides on a frame • Listing the colour and the text would also be a good idea • Planning out the procedure is also necessary because you want to try to get the best materials without harming the environment • Most materials taken from nature are usually grown which make them ‘green’

3. Design • The parts of a bike are based on three things: the frame, the wheels and the pedal/chain area • When choosing a frame you need to know a few things: the size, the colour, the material and the design of the frame • The main parts of a frame are the fork, head tube, top tube, down tube, seat tube, chain stays and the seat stays • The wheel has to be the perfect size to fit the frame of a bike • Tires can be thin or fat, with different types of materials and different diameters (there’s even winter and all-season tires) • The pedal and chain are very important components because they make bikes move • Pedal widths are chosen by the sizes of bicycles and estimated age group • Chains have to be the correct length which is why the angles and lengths of frames are important

4. Materials Extraction • All sorts of materials are used to build bikes because there are so many different parts that make up the whole • Wheels are usually made with a metal hub, wire tension spokes and metal or carbon fiber rim which holds a pneumatic rubber tire • Metal is basically a rock which is found on the earth’s crust and is mined for, when mining with big machines they’re also known as metal ores • Carbon fiber is an extremely thin but strong fiber made of almost pure carbon • Rubber is a material that has to processed from a liquid called latex, which is found in the bark of heveas or rubber trees in Brazil • The frame is the largest component of the bike which is mostly made of a few simple materials on different bikes • These materials are titanium, aluminum, carbon fiber and steel which are all types of metals that are found in the earth’s crust when mining • All these materials are great sources for frames because they make the bike light weight

5. Materials Processing • Making a bike tire isn’t very hard at all but it does release a lot of smoke when heating the rubber, which causes air pollution • All you need to do is mold the shape and size of your tire, fill it with the foamy liquid and heat it in a burning hot oven • Metal frames are made by melting pieces of metal together and forming cylinder shapes that need to be joined together • This process causes a lot of smoke to leave large metal making factories • After the making of parts, they are died in different colours • Afterwards, the parts are all somehow stuck together to make a basic frame • All other parts including the brakes and handlebars are made of plastic which is shaped by cutting it with a frame • The chain drive is also like a wheel, which is put in a template that holds the shape of all the cuts and ridges

6. Manufacturing • By putting the liquid from rubber trees through the process of making tires takes a lot of work • The template you’re using has to have the right tread that is appropriate for the type of bike that is being produced • Afterwards, the inner tubes have to be installed correctly to pierce air valves into them • The spokes also have to be stuck in in the correct shape • When making the frame, it’s all about how long you want the metal and how you want it to be shaped like • After all the parts are heated and smooth, they are stuck together with a sticky glue and stuck in the oven to melt together into one whole frame • Environmentally there’s only one problem: the amount of smoke that is released when putting metal in the oven

7. Manufacturing • The biggest ever environmental and health problem is spray painting the bike’s frame • Most of the paint that is sprayed at the metal is actually not sticking onto the frame, but floating into the air • A bunch of government workers were sent to small companies to change the way of spray painting by changing the shape of the nozzle and using electrostatic application instead • The company was also advised to use a regular gas oven for drying • From this “pollution prevention” the company had 4 tons less of the volatile organic gases that were released into the air • The amount of paint use was decreased by 32% and the amount of solvent was lowered by 80%\ • The process of making a bike has become so much more environment-friendly from the help of the government

8. Manufacturing • Other parts in the manufacturing of a bike include: • The chain drive and gearing which are mostly located by the handlebars, help change the strength needed to ride the bike and the speed of the bicycle • The actual metal chain is located between the rear wheel and the pedals • The saddle (a.k.a. the seat) is located directly above the chain drive and is usually made out of rubber on kids’ bikes and leather for bigger bikes • There is sometimes a height under the saddle which makes it rise and drop • The handlebars are needed if you want to be safe because the help you keep your balance and contain the brakes and gears • Handlebars are also known to be a part of the frame and have rubber or leather covers on top • Finally brakes are found being made by plastic in most cases and are squeezed to send a message through a cable to press against the wheel rim and stop letting the wheel turn • Most brakes have tighter connections to the rear brakes and looser bonds to the front ones to keep a rider from flipping at a sudden halt

9. Packaging and Distribution • Bikes are known to be a larger utility vehicle which makes it sort of hard for it to be packaged • Most bikes are usually shipped right out of factories and sent out to stores • However, there is a new creation called a bike bag or bike case which is pretty much like a briefcase that consists of all the different parts • The different parts only include the frame and two wheels and take only 5 minutes to put together • There is one thing to consider: how much does it cost? It ranges from $50-$150!!!!! • Even when transporting bikes they sometimes use bike bags to protect the bicycles from being damaged, but mostly boxes are used to ship smaller training wheel bikes • Bicycles are mostly transported by 18-wheeled trucks to retailers in the same province or state • Planes also carry bikes that are shipped from other countries as special orders for certain people • The bike carrying case is just a waste of materials, such as plastic, which are extracted from the Earth’s crust and have to be manufactured themselves • That’s like doing twice the work for something that is insane and worthless

10. Use • The bicycle has been used for so many things that it has become a daily need in many people’s lives • Here are a few uses of the very handy bike: • Utility: Bikes have become the best way of transportation in India, China etc. • Work: In some countries, bicycles are used for mail delivery, police and paramedics • Entertainment/Recreation: Biking is a way of exercising, is in BMX and bike tours • Power: From the speed of pedaling bikes, electricity can be generated to appliances • Military: Bikes have even been used in wars in the past to move medication • Even though all those different types of uses sound cool, there are always rules • One extremely important rule that 65% Canadian kids ignore is wearing their helmets that keep their heads from cracking open in an accident • Other than the help of helmets there are other “cool” gear that keep you safe like: a lock, bell, reflector, dynamo light, water bottle and correct bike clothes • Finally, the rules on the road: When riding bicycles you must ride as far to the right on the road as possible and keep a metre away from cars • Learning hand signals is a good idea so car drivers are alert what you’re going to do

11. End Of Life • As bikes get old and rusty the usually get repaired, but what if they get too small? • Most people in the world usually give their bikes away to relatives so they don’t waste money and throw it in the dump • There isn’t a way that you really dispose bikes other than taking the metal rods apart and re-using them • Unless your bicycle has been crushed and is in bad shape, you don’t throw your bike away • If you don’t want your bike anymore, you can donate it to a local store where they can repair it and sell it for a more affordable price • Bicycles have also become an object that is used frequently in shopping websites such as eBay and Craig's list • Bikes are made so that they don’t turn out to be a part of hurting the environment such as being thrown in a dump without being re-used, reduced or recycled

12. Bibliography • Pinchuk, Amy (2003). The Best Book Of Bikes. Toronto: Maple Tree Press. • Wikipedia Contributors. Bicycle. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle • Wang, Ping Tien. Free Patents Online. http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6966570.html • Rowlinson, John. Green Uses For Waste http://www.greenusesforwaste.co.uk/about-bike-recycling.html • Chan Shen, Lo. Free Patents Online. http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7178240.html