GT Bicycles - Development of the STS-1 - Carbon Fiber LTS

GT Bicycle's STS-1 Carbon Fiber Bike

This is the carbonfiber version of GT's high performance LTS dual suspension mountain bike I designed in the mid nineties. The design process started of with a series of side view hand sketches. As with a number of in house design departments the sketches are just black and white, no time to add color. To speed things up just the frame is drawn on photo copy paper with the wheels, seat, handlebars and already copied onto the page.

After the first few rounds of sketches, a few concepts were selected to be prototyped into models. I did a few more detailed sketches of just the frames to nail down the forms for a reference as I hand built the models.

Then, I got to work building the prototype models. Using metal, wood, bondo, screws, glue and even some very rough welding I created the models.

Having completed developing the frame forms the concepts are ready for paint to make them look more real.

At this point there was a management review and there was a feeling that the designs were too far away from the traditional straight tube look. Compared to bikes now, these concepts are very tame but back then they were a bit edgy. So a more linear concept was developed and a prototype model built to show how it would look in real life.

As is common with most development projects the initial designs are a result of working with a certain premise of how things are going to work. Any of these designs were going to be complicated to manufacture and we were learning more about the molding process which was not going to be easy. This is the point when assumptions are challenged and a fresh look is taken on how to design the product. In this case a handle bar using the same manufacturing process was being looked as a method of making our design easier to make. The bar had metal sleeves that the carbon fiber tube ran through in the center and at the ends where the stem and barends would clamp.  If we did the same thing with our problem areas, headtube, seat tube and bottom bracket areas, things would be a lot easier.
Time was passing by and we needed to get it done. So I sketched out a quick design of how we though it was going to look and we ran with it.

In the sketch you can see where I drew what the cross section would look like in various ares of the frame. You can also see the straps from the cnc machined parts that the carbon fiber tube was threaded through. A model was quickly made but never built up. Instead it was cut up to use for reference when modeling the frame in the computer software.

Below is the finished bike, some detail shots of the cnc parts and the bike as it looked as when GT developed it into a down hill bike.

If you are interested in seeing more of my work or are interested in the design services I offer please click here to go to my website, Bullseye Design Worx. To see more bike design related projects click on the label tags to the right.

The GT Bicycles STS-2

GT Bicycle's STS Head Tube

GT Bicycle's STS Seat Tube and Upper Pivot

GT Bicycle's STS-DH - Down Hill Bike

High Velocity Arms - Advanced Safety Trigger Guard

One of the top rules of gun safety is never put your finger on the trigger until you are ready to shoot. Well, until now there has been no other specific place to rest your finger for AR-15 users. The finger is left to wander around the lower receiver and trigger guard without any specific place to rest. High Velocity Arms saw this as an opportunity to develop an advanced trigger guard with Bullseye Design Worx that provides a place to positively index the shooter's finger off the trigger. The development led to the design of the Advanced Safety Trigger Guard. Built for ambidextrous use the Advanced Safety Trigger Guard extends a contoured surface out around the mag well that users extends their fingers out onto to rest. This locating position for the finger creates good muscle memory for knowing that your finger is not on the trigger. In addition to being a resting surface for the finger, the Advanced Safety Trigger Guard also allows better control of the firearm by using that same surface to provide leverage to the finger in manipulating the rifle.

 

Bullseye Design Worx worked with High Velocity Arms to develop the design, get 3D prototypes, develop at visual form language for the brand, build the design in CAD and find sourcing. You can see more designs developed for the fire arms industry and the design services I offer by clicking on this link to the Bullseye Design Worx website.

High Velocity Arms is a manufacture of high end accessories for the AR-15 shooting enthusiast. It prides itself in innovative designs, robust styling and some of the most extensive machined parts in the business to get the product right. You can see more of their products by clicking on this link to the High Velocity Arms website. Keep a watch out for this company because there are many more exciting products in the pipe line coming out soon.

Windsor Industries Chariot iScrub 20

Chariot iScrub 20

While there is not a lot of glamor in the commercial cleaning business there are plenty of opportunities to improve products and break into new market segments. The Windsor iScrub 20 is one of opportunities realized. The iScrub is a ride-on floor scrubber, like a Zamboni for cleaning floors. Prior to the release of this product the market was made up of machines you walked behind and larger machines you rode. The price gap jumped from $5500 for the larger walk-behinds to $13,000 for the ride-on. The project name for the new machine was "Walk Behind Killer", aimed at getting a small ride-on down to the cost of a walk-behind machine. To do this the development team had to rethink how to build a scrubber which had traditionally been a low volume product with high manufacturing cost. Building on the idea that sales volume would be higher was the idea to move from costly metal formed structures to more cost effective injection molding. In the end the cost when first launched was $6300. 

Operator's Platform and Controls

The benefit of the ride-on machine over the walk-behind is productivity. Operators that have to walk move at a slower pace, take more time to turn the machine around and become fatigued over time.  The unique stand on style of ride-on also allows the operator to easily get off and on to move objects, pick up debris that might clog the vacuum system or pre-treat an area before scrubbing, much more so then a sit on style rider. 

Click here for a product video of the Chariot iScrub 20. You can also click on this link, Bullseye Design Worx to go to my website and see other projects I have done along with the broad range of design services I offer.

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