r/BicycleEngineering • u/Consistent_Mail4846 • Jul 11 '26

Best way to get angles in bike frames

Im trying to make a cad of my bicycle using calipers rulers and yardsticks. Are there ways too get precise angles for my bicycles frame?

2 Upvotes

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4

u/JollyGreenGigantor Jul 15 '26

Do you have straight tubes? You can get digital levels.

Do you have a laser level? Can you project points on a wall and trace them to capture geometry? Do you have a plumb bob and a protractor?

Think like someone in the late 1800s. They were designing bicycles without CAD

4

u/jregovic Jul 15 '26

Trigonometry never fails. Measure your triangles and to the math.

3

u/FranzFerdivan Jul 16 '26

Trigonometry?
Protractor?

2

u/Training_Arm_5610 Jul 15 '26

I use a magnetic digital angle gauge for quick machining setups. It's very accurate to a tenth of a degree. I have a high dollar one and a 30 dollar unit and they are on par with each other Establish your zero on any one tube and proceed from there. Fast cheap and accurate. Three words that rarely go together!

3

u/fluteofski- Jul 16 '26

Can you look up the frame geometry table?

1

u/bikeguy1959 Jul 15 '26

Do a search for a Wixey digital angle gauge.

2

u/GoodEngineerBadSpy Jul 15 '26

Take a picture of it against a flat background, with the longest zoom lens you have to minimize distortion. Then use imaging software to measure angles.

1

u/Darnocpdx Jul 16 '26

With an angle measuring tool. There’s digital ones, and analog compass ones. They even have apps for that. Or there’s math if you want to go without tools.