Anyone using BIKECAD.?.. free online bicycle design program?

[franconuevo]

It's pretty cool...java based...so it's gonna be a little slow if you have a semi ok laptop...like the one i got.
Or, do you draw designs out by hand ???...I know Luke draws his cool ideas out on craft-paper on the floor....
Or...do you just wing it?
Not that we don't already spend enough time in front of the computer, I think one could get lost in the design and the online software instead of building. I know, because I used to design boats and trailers on CAD and well, there's months and months of my life I'll never get back
http://www.bikecad.ca/
http://www.bikecad.ca/

It's real similar to an online boat cad program that I used when I used to make wooden boats at my place up in South Carolina
after that came building camper trailers, NOW I'm all nutty about bikes.
But i do remember that although the designs were helpful to kick off a project, things invariably changed once the boats , or trailers got underway....sound familiar?
anyway....weigh in, what do you think? or , do most of you already know about this program? It's fun to play around with.
franco

See? it used to be backyard boats, now it's back and side-yard bikes

 

[Duchess]

Nice boats! I just have a couple of wooden kit kayaks. I did design a small power boat that was almost half fighter plane, but gave up when I tried to put it into a boat design CAD program that I needed to confirm the OK-ness of the design through some calculations and to configure the design into 2D panels to cut from marine ply.

 

[franconuevo]

Yes, Duchess... the boat program will figure the cutting and layout, and the stresses on plywood...it can get pretty technical.
but, I just forget about all that, and I have snapped some plywood pieces...if it won't curve, then you just double up...lam up some thinner stuff....
and, similar to bikes, I have launched a few boats that didn't track..or paddle , or row well, and I've hauled them out and recut the transom, etc...same in bikes...swap out or redo parts until it's rollin just right
franco

 

[Bicycle808]

I've used the free online version of bikecad to play around with designing bikes, but not to actually use the designs to make a frame. It's really awesome. Apparently, the version that you pay for will give you even more info, as far as formulas to figure out exact lengths of each tube. Haven't looked at that yet, b/c it ain't cheap. I'll probably revisit it once i start actually trying to bend and weld tubes, maybe one day i'll actually scratch-build a bicycle.

But, yeah, bikecad is an awesome resource.

 

[LukeTheJoker]

I have used Bikecad a lot in the past, it is hard to get it to do some of the crazier frame designs I come up with, but it is great for working out if you have the sizing right. I usually start with a sketch, then into Bikecad, then import that to Paint.net to add the crazy stuff and then back into a sketch to transfer to the build board.

Here is one I did:

Still in progress:

Luke.

 

[franconuevo]

that's a cool looking bike there Luke...I like it. almost done it looks like..

Franco.

I played with bikecad it's def. a nice program...Building a longtail bike right now that I sketched up, but it' looks absolutely nothing like the sketch I made. lol...more like design as you go kinda guy I guess.

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Some bikes I do that way too, just depends on the bike and how I am feeling at the time.

Luke.