ABSTRACT
The frame and fork comprise the main structure of a typical cycle, connecting the wheels, other components and component assemblies and transferring forces between them. Monoblades have been used to improve the aerodynamics of racing bikes, for ease of tire changing, and to reduce the folded size of certain portable bicycles. The forces imparted to the frame by the rider and by bumps, braking or other causes are transmitted by combinations of compression, tension, bending, torsion and shear along the individual frame members. Compression and tension are simple axial forces distributed over the member’s cross-section, resulting in a stress, e.g., pressure. A solid round rod does not resist bending very well, as very little of the material is highly stressed in compression or tension. Torsion is twisting a member about its long axis, like undoing a bottle’s screw cap. Shear is applied across a member’s cross-section but not directly opposed, like scissors cutting through paper.
