Research & Development

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SMD Advantage:

• SMD pioneered the freestyle custom frame industry
• Years of research and development
• Design and testing by professional rider
• Strongest structural design on the market
• Lightest frames on the market
• Only frames on the market utilizing proper tube triangulation

The Prototype:

The first frame SMD ever built was in the fall of 2009. It was a full frame replacement (Full-On model). Since this frame was experimental SMD used .095 wall HREW tubing (about 30k – 40k tensile strength).

The results were beyond expectation. After months of testing I could not break the frame, despite using HREW. In fact, it took me 1.5 years to even crack the prototype! I am still using this frame as my primary! The increased rigidity was amazing, and highly beneficial for power transfer both from throttle and braking application. Stoppie control increased immensely. The added turning radius made carving stoppies, Kangaroo stoppies, drifting and over-all ride-ability increased greatly. This frame redefined the limits on what I can do on the bike.

Design:

A lot of time and thought went in to the design of the frame. The focus was on the weak areas around the neck and motor mounts. SMD utilized time-tested design techniques, tube bends in appropriate areas, and proper use of triangulation. Stress from the neck and motor mounts is shared throughout the entire frame. In essence the entire frame is a huge solid motor mount.

SMD frames utilize the stock motor mount adjustment hardware. Installation and motor positioning are simple, and geometrically proper.

SMD's design is structurally stronger than any of the competitor's designs.

 

The “Hybrid Half Frame” design (introduced in Spring 2010) uses the “Full-On Full Frame” design attached to a stock frame's rear section. The “Hybrid” shares the “Full-On” design strengths, but is priced at about half the cost.

 

Materials:

Now that the design was complete and testing data gathered, it was time to consider materials for production models. It came down to 1020 DOM vs. 4130 chromoly. I personally put a lot of time and research in to this decision.

1020 DOM vs. 4130 chromoly

• HREW (prototype material) tensile strength = 30k psi – 40k psi
• 1020 DOM tensile strength = 70k psi – 80k psi
• 4130 chromoly tensile strength = 90k – 93k psi

Therefore 4130 is about 10% - 20% stronger.

This strength does not account for heat stress introduced by welding. Since stunt frames have many heat affected zones (weld points), the pre and post weld heat and stress treatments are very important. In essence the strength benefits of chromoly are only as good as the weld points.

Based on my research most experts agree on these points for welding and treating 4130

• TIG welding is a must
• Pre-weld preparation suggested
• Post-weld stress relief (like heat treatment or normalizing) are highly recommended

After lengthy research I concluded that to make a worthwhile 4130 chromoly frame I would need to pre-treat my materials, TIG weld everything, then properly stress-relieve the weld areas (oven heat treatment, normalizing, etc). Moreover if I or my customers wanted to modify, add-to, or repair a frame, I/they would have to have access to all of this equipment.

I opted for the 1020 DOM for these reasons:

• Most fabricators agree 4130 chromoly is not much stronger unless appropriately treated.
• 1020 DOM is easy to work with: you the customer can modify and/or repair the frame with a MIG welder. No special equipment or processes needed.
• 4130 chromoly is a bit more brittle than 1020 DOM

My final thoughts on material selection are this: 1020 DOM is twice as strong as my HREW prototype frame. 4130 chromoly is only 10% - 20% stronger than 1020 DOM IF properly prepared and treated, BUT is not a user friendly material for the customer. Proper preparation equipment is expensive and hard for customers to come by. Other custom frame companies are not properly treating their 4130 chromoly. The logical choice is 1020 DOM.

For safety, SMD uses main support tubing nearly twice as thick as the prototype. The customer receives stronger tubing, and greater wall thickness.

The “Research”:

Research has basically been me crashing my brains out over the past two riding seasons. I have learned a lot, and many things I found were surprising. Keep in mind this research is based on the prototype frame constructed from weaker materials than production models.

After 1.5 years of testing, I finally cracked the prototype. Where it cracked was a surprise: the upper main tube, 3.5 inches back from the neck. The actual tube cracked, NOT the weld (production tubes are twice as thick, and twice as strong). The only possible cause is stoppies (not pancaking!). Being that it is on the left side, the side I carve and Kangaroo, I am led to believe hard carves and Kangaroo stoppies are killers.

Motor mounts: completely unaffected. This was shocking to me, as I was certain my habit of hard pancakes, and brutal drops would crack the motor mount section of the frame. There are no cracks, and no bends. There are no marks on the motor that would indicate weak frame support. Any more motor mount support is completely unnecessary.

Steering stops: totally unnecessary, and honestly quite cumbersome! Running no stops with greater turning radius is one of my favorite aspects of these frames. I have had lock-to-lock bar slaps countless times and have never damaged my forks, or frame. Steering stops only get in the way!

Conclusion:

SMD is not selling an “indestructible” custom frame. There is no such thing. SMD does offer something no other company can provide: Years of thoughtful research and development by professionals, honest customer service, and the best custom frames on the market.

SMD is more than ahead of the curve. We drew the curve. We set the bar. We are the standard.

 

Evolution:

In a continuous effort to improve and strengthen design SMD brings you advances in design as they develop. SMD is on the frontline of freestyle frame evolution.

NEW!

- Hybrid half frame upper subframe mount reinforcement. -

The subframe is stressed from several sources: rider weight, gas tank/tank tricks, and 12 o'clock scrapes. These braces strengthen the upper point of attachment between frame and subframe.

 

 

NEW!

- Open or closed neck style option for gas tank mount (front). -

 

Open Neck allows more cable and

wire routing options.

 

 

 

 

 

Closed Neck supports GPR style dampers.

 

 

New Design!

We have taken our fantastic frame design and made it even stronger! With the incorporation of a lateral cross member 3 things are improved:

1: Increased lateral strength resistance to frame twisting.

2: Increased resistance to side impacts, translating to greater engine mount protection.

3: Increased turn radius!