So crazy it just might work

[tombenn444]

So I was looking at my bike all naked (the bike that is) and such today and a thought occurred to me; could I use duct tape or a similar material and create a fairing or body panels? At first I was toying around the idea of collecting a lot of milk jugs enough to melt down to a decent size ingot of number two recyclable plastic and then mold the pieces out of that but then I thought why couldn't I just use duct tape like duct tape like it is just pure tape make it thick enough shape it however you want seems like it's pretty workable already shouldn't be that hard I wonder how much it would weigh or if it would even hold together. It would definitely offer some protection from the more delicate parts of my life just in case something happened. And general repairs? Need a strip of tape? I gotchu fam

 

[cloakedvillain]

You would need a trellis like structure to maintain any shape. This guy uses eva foam, but he buys it as the jigsaw floor mats from harbor freight.

Also you do need to get under that fairing eventually and a supporting structure would expedite that. Undo some fasteners instead of cutting up your hard work.

Rocket Bikes

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[Gordy]

I've thought about building a ferring bike, but to me it seems like a lot of work for almost nothing.

 

[cloakedvillain]

I wouldn't call looking cool nothing but getting low will help more than the fairing for aerodynamic losses.

 

[Chainlube]

I wouldn't call looking cool nothing but getting low will help more than the fairing for aerodynamic losses.

A ball is the most aerodynamic shape. Now that I said that....

So I was looking at my bike all naked (the bike that is) and such today and a thought occurred to me; could I use duct tape or a similar material and create a fairing or body panels? At first I was toying around the idea of collecting a lot of milk jugs enough to melt down to a decent size ingot of number two recyclable plastic and then mold the pieces out of that but then I thought why couldn't I just use duct tape like duct tape like it is just pure tape make it thick enough shape it however you want seems like it's pretty workable already shouldn't be that hard I wonder how much it would weigh or if it would even hold together. It would definitely offer some protection from the more delicate parts of my life just in case something happened. And general repairs? Need a strip of tape? I gotchu fam

Paper mache over an inflated balloon, then a coating of fiberglass on top once the paper mache dries will give you a ball-ish shaped starting point for a fairing. It will all be of a minimal weight too.

 

[robe]

A ball is the most aerodynamic shape. Now that I said that....


Paper mache over an inflated balloon, then a coating of fiberglass on top once the paper mache dries will give you a ball-ish shaped starting point for a fairing. It will all of a minimal weight to it too.

Paper mache is a great idea. You could just coat it with latex paint for some water proofing. Or if you glassed it, the paper mache could be dissolved with water.
I wonder if you could use blow up kids floaties to develop useful shapes?

 

[Chainlube]

Paper mache is a great idea. You could just coat it with latex paint for some water proofing. Or if you glassed it, the paper mache could be dissolved with water.
I wonder if you could use blow up kids floaties to develop useful shapes?

Paper mache with two layers of glass on top will make a strong fairing, and like you said, just soak it and the paper will come out. Use the head off an Ogopogo floatie to make a beautiful fairing. Of course you'd have to use the whole floatie until the glass was set up.

 

[michael whiteman]

You could start with a 4x8 sheet of pink 2" foam insulation. Cut pieces and glue them together. (make sure it's compatible glue) A french bread knife and a sureform tool can be used to create the desired shape. Maybe cover this form with wax paper as a release agent and then lay fiberglass cloth on it.

 

[Gordy]

You could start with a 4x8 sheet of pink 2" foam insulation. Cut pieces and glue them together. (make sure it's compatible glue) A french bread knife and a sureform tool can be used to create the desired shape. Maybe cover this form with wax paper and then lay fiberglass cloth on it.

That foam insulation is mighty expensive. I was looking at it for my workshop, but oh my is it expensive.

 

[robe]

You definitely have to cover the pink or blue foam (polystyrene)with something to protect it from the fiber glass resin or it will melt.
Polyurethane is the stuff for fiber glass but is very expensive.
I'm liking the paper mache idea. Flour, water and a dash of salt doesn't get much cheaper that that.