Carbon levers.-finished pics added

[jpbikeboy]

After I made the rearsets I got bored again so i tried making a set of carbon levers. I'm pretty happy with them.

[FrogZ]

Is making stuff out of c/f hard to do?
I mean I seen the guy on Mythbusters do it so it cant be TOO hard right?
Is just like fibreglass but you use carbon fibre mats instead of glass fibre mats?

[MickLC]

Is making stuff out of c/f hard to do?
I mean I seen the guy on Mythbusters do it so it cant be TOO hard right?
Is just like fibreglass but you use carbon fibre mats instead of glass fibre mats?

Yeah, I've got a few ideas and wouldn't mind having a go...but don't know where to start

[jpbikeboy]

Yes and no. You can use it just like fibreglass but it takes a bit of practice to get that nice carbon look. you also have to use certain resins. For all the structural stuff it's a different story again. i managed to get some off cut sheets from an aircraft production place which i laminated together and then cut, file, grind, sand and drill make the parts. It's bloody messy and takes quite a while to do (about 4hrs to do a lever) because it's so hard. it bluntens everything you use.

[aardvark]

Classic!! How long until yo have a complete carbon bike that you can carry up 4 flights of stairs?

[FrogZ]

Ill just leave it to you then...

[jpbikeboy]

[aardvark wrote]Classic!! How long until yo have a complete carbon bike that you can carry up 4 flights of stairs?[/quote]

It's still a 93 zxr. There is still a lot of steel that can be replaced with titanium(i wish) and I'd like a set of wheels to make it real light. so basically to get it up on the 4th floor it'll be cheaper to build a ramp.

[Smitty]

the only prob with real CF on a bike
how do you keep it out of the sunlight..?

[matchan]

levers look pretty darn good there, do you have any pics of the rearsets fitted ?

Cheers
Matt

[jpbikeboy]

the only prob with real CF on a bike
how do you keep it out of the sunlight..?

I think it's the resin that ages not the actual CF. I use surfboard resin for the cosmetic stuff and sometimes epoxy resin. I've had some of th CF parts on my bike for nearly 9 years and had no discolouring or cracks. This new stuff, i don't know what resin it is but if it's good enough for aircraft it's good enough for me.

[jpbikeboy]

levers look pretty darn good there, do you have any pics of the rearsets fitted ?

Cheers
Matt

Not yet. MBP is machining my spacers and pegs this weekend so i'll post em up when thats done.

[MBP]

Yep Sunday is set aside for a quick spin on the 7 and then machining pegs for the carbon rearsets.

I think a set would look pretty good on the 7, and would be the next step in the weight saving, got a long way to go to get it to 180kgs, what do you reckon jp.

Cheers,

Matt

[Saki]

CB Engine ?

[Kishy]

Good wrk JP

Save yaself some $$ there

[Noticed]

the good carbon stuff is injection moulded with epoxy and baked very hot like 600 Deg C. of course it costs an arm and a leg, the cheaper stuff you see around these days is made like fibreglass often using fibreglass moulds, using vinyl/polyester resin, it is nowhere near as stiff.

I'm assuming the offcuts from aircraft would be baked epoxy, I would like to know what resin was used to join the sheets, or where they thick enough already? I like the technique, think I might try it myself with a bit more research