Dream job
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BrianMc posted 3 years ago.
In my wave of excitement I have decided I am going to design and build my own carbon fibre bike frame. It should be an interesting and long experience.
Check this out.
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/rinard/howibuil.htm
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JamieM posted 3 years ago.
That's pretty cool. Good luck with that. Wish I had the time to try something like that.
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inlovewithcerve posted 3 years ago.
Need test riders? Gimme a call, I'll be there!
Sounds really interesting, have fun building it. And keep us informed about the outcome!
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Tribro posted 3 years ago.
Sounds cool. Let us know how the project comes along.
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4loren posted 3 years ago.
Man, I am aerospace engineering graduate and have spent the last year working with different analysis/design software. My husband doesn't think that a bike designing job would be as pay fulfilling as my current Aerospace job, but I still dream.
Not to drag engineering into trifuel but, you should pursue for experience in several software packages. Most bike companies seem to seek structural analysts which will give you the technical knowledge and background to become a designer. If you don't have experience in these already I would push you the chase the dream with:
Finite element programs: NASTRAN and ANSIS (sp)
Non-linear programs (for aerodynamic/drag analysis): ABAQUS type programs
and the basic design programs: PRO-E, Solidworks, etc.
When you get a job could you save some space for me? I know most bike designers are previous aerospace industry people :D .
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outdoorgirl posted 3 years ago.
My husband used to work for RST (bike suspension fork company) about 6 years ago. The bike industry is interesting...but not very highly paid. He is a teacher now and makes way more money than he did in the bike industry. However, you do get to attend interbike and trade shows across the country/world. I would work for a large company as they usually have a stronger infrastructure and pay is better. The smaller guys just can't pay very much and when money gets tight you could easily get laid off. Good luck w/your bike and finding a job. I hope this is somewhat useful. Definitely keep us updated.
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BrianMc posted 3 years ago.
Thanks for the advice. I'll be sure to let you know how the bike design thing goes. Construction will be a lot harder, I'd be concerned about inconsistensies and weak points.
4loren, I have been using ANSYS and other FEA packages for a few years, as well as some CAD packages. This is what I hope to do my thesis on next year, and I'll stress that when I apply. I'll have to look into that ABAQUS program, I'm going to try and take some more fluids courses this year. My previous goal was to get into the aerospace industry, and frankly I don't see them as being too far apart (which is probably why most are former aerospace people). Definately save you a space.
As for the money thing, that isn't a big deal to me at the moment. I'm young and single, and for the chance to do something like this, I would probably we willing to even work for free for a few months if it meant I could get my foot in the door. I mean, what if I got to help design a bike for the TdF. WHOAAA.
Brian
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kylie posted 3 years ago.
cool dreams Brian!
Once you are famous and have your own company, hire all the trifuelers you can! I'll help with any computer programming/web stuff you might need... ;-)
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JamieM posted 3 years ago.
And if you need anyone to test ride the prototypes, you know where to find us.
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reflux posted 3 years ago.
You're definitely on the right track. Take a friend of mine for example, he recently graduated with an ME degree and was lucky (well, he made his own luck) enough to spend a summer with Titec (before the layoffs) doing some design manuf work.
Back to the story... For his senior project, he got involved in the HPV team and the construction of their "bike." From square one, he designed and manufactured a complete carbon fiber fork. With the amount of time he spent researching the project, doing design analysis, maintaining his grades and so forth, he barely finished the project in time. The great thing about the project though, was that he had all of this research material and the fork itself, to present to prospective employers during the interview process. Keep the project ideas rolling, you might find that the more you look into it, you might realize an entire frame is a lot of work and that you might be better served by focusing on one aspect (stays, downtubes, etc).
Definitely look into more fluid dynamics classes and computer programs. Is it called CFD, computational fuild dynamics? I'm an accountant, I just an armchair engineer so don't hate me for not knowing. As Trek has done with its most recent tt frame, CFD will be huge in the design process of the next generation of tt frames.
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Skippy posted 3 years ago.
Hey BrainMc, I just wanted to jump in and offer my 2 cents on this one. By all means, like you said, you're young and haven't saddled yourself with the responsibilities of life yet, so go for it! Do it now while you can and have less to lose. The best advice I could offer you is whatever you choose to do for a living, try like HECK to make it be something that you can get some fulfillment and joy from, and live within your financial means. That way you'll be happy and won't have any money stress if you never overextend yourself to begin with, and you can keep your options open for changes. Just try to have something to fall back on, keep a back up plan in mind as a "just in case".
And if you need someone accident prone to test the durability of your bike design, well..... :o
"Every obstacle is a stepping stone to your success." - Unknown
"...unless you constantly trip over them." - me :rolleyes:
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BrianMc posted 3 years ago.
So I just thought I would update you all. I sent out my resume to pretty much every bike associated company the a couple of days ago about getting an engineering job, and so far I have 2 interviews coming up. With Aegis bikes in Maine, and Parlee Cycles in Massachussetts.
Hopefully I can something will come of all this.
Brian
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bpcooper14 posted 3 years ago.
Aegis is in maine? I lived there for 3 yrs and never knew that?!?!!? Good luck. Where in maine is it?
[COLOR=Red]We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing. :p
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BrianMc posted 3 years ago.
HQ in Camden, and the manufacturing is in Van Buren, which is just across the border from my house in NB.
Brian
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bpcooper14 posted 3 years ago.
Man, i was about 45 minutes or so from camden. i loved living in maine. id love to get back that way sometime. good luck with that
[COLOR=Red]We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing. :p
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catwood posted 3 years ago.
I'd love to have a mechanical engineering job in the bike industry in a few years too (I'm an '08)... Brian, once you get a job in the industry, let me hear your impressions of some of the companies out there.
Ok I gotta get studying and I need to actually get an internship this summer or else it will be hopeless to get any good mechE job much less one in the bike industry...
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BrianMc posted 3 years ago.
Sure thing Cat. I like how you say ONCE I get a job. Confidence. It works.
Brian
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caity78runs posted 2 years ago.
hey...when your bike company gets going you'll need someone in the legal field...sign me up!!! :D I'll be done w/ law school August 2007 (as I currently sit procrastinating for studing Uniform Commercial Code and Employment Law!) :rolleyes:
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jmruns430 posted 2 years ago.
Brian-
Good luck man! I hope you get where you want, I think the dream job for all of us is out there and its best to chase it when you're young. I graduated as a materials engineer and once had the ideal of working for Salomon designing skis; I never did the right internships and didn't dig around enough to find some help getting my foot in the door. So with that said, my best piece of advice for you is to keep talking to people and try to get connected, I think most of the battle is getting someone to take a look at you, after that you've probably got the talent and the spirit to get you in. And as others have said . . . I'll also volunteer as a test rider for ya!
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MichelleG posted 2 years ago.
Hey Brian, how about an update? How are things going with the dream job?
~Shell~
"What doesn't kill you, hurts like HELL... but doesn't kill you"! - some commercial
I had an epiphany yesterday at work - don't know why it took this long for it to come to me.
I graduate from univeristy next year with a mechanical engineering degree, and I am going to plaster every single bike company out there with my resume with the hope of getting a job as a design engineer. I can't think of somewhere I would currently want to work more.
Anyone in the industry, or know anyone in the industry? Just kind of want to find some more stuff out about it. I'm really pumped at the moment, and hope this leads somewhere. Maybe I can even do my final year thesis on designing a fully customized aero frame. Oooohhhhhhh.
Brian