Ribs

No, this isn't about the kind you can eat.  In the photo below you can see the stiffening rib installed in the side of the Milan. 

 

This adds much needed stiffness to the long flat side of the Milan.  While the panel was strong enough without the rib it seemed to act like a sounding board for vibrations from the road.  To further reduce this I have rebuilt the rear fender.  Here you can see the first half.

 

What different about this one is that it considerably stiffer by the addition of an extra layer.  The extra layer is the material Bio-Mid which is made from sawdust from western Canada.  The material looks much like regular fiberglass but has a density similar to Kevlar.  It adds thickness to the laminate without a lot of weight.  Having this layer between two layers of carbon optimizes the carbon's properties.  



On the Road at Last

This is the first picture taken of the blue Milan GT on the road.  It is still missing a few bits but ride able.  The first thing I noticed that's different about it is the weight.  It looks like the Milan GT in carbon/Kevlar laminate will finish out in the low 60 pound range.  While I was hoping for under 60 with some more development this may still be possible.  The second thing I noticed is that it is noisier than the glass version.  Right now I am working at reducing the noise and think I may have it in hand.  My local short test loop has some very poorly surfaced roads so if I can make it acceptable on these it won't be a problem elsewhere.  The problem may be with a high tech thin laminate without excess resin in it transmits vibrations more.  Having a high resin content makes for thicker laminate and the resin itself is less prone to transmitting noise or vibration than the carbon or Kevlar material.  Some localized stiffening seems to help a lot.   Tomorrow morning ride will tell if it good enough. 

 

The first seat that I have infused.  It does have a couple of foam ribs on the back making infusion an easier overall process than our usual method with vacuum.  The disadvantage is than we end up using a bit more resin and have more materials that need to be throw any.  The big plus is the potential weight saving.  While this seat is a bit light for my liking I will test it some to see how it stands up.  The weight I would be happy with is under 500g.  This one weighs in at 414g without the holes in it but I would like to add a bit more carbon in a couple of spots.