3D Printed Bike for Toddler (walking Bike)

In this Instructable I show you how I made a 3D printed bike (frame) for my son.

I am new to 3D printing and was curious if it is really possible to print 'anything'. So I started with this bike.
It's really amazing to see your own design being printed in real life.

Supplies:

The materials and tools I used for this project.

For the frame:

• 3D printer Creality Ender 3 * (affiliate link)
• PLA+ High temperature PLA
• Epoxy
• sanding paper
• Basic tools

For the rest of the bike:

• 2 wheels
• bike seat
• front fork
• steering wheel

Software:

• Blender free 3D modeling software
• Cura slicer for the 3D printer

* As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Step 1: Check Out My Video!

In this video I show step by step how I made the 3D printed walking bike from scratch. I hope this video will give you inspiration or help to make a cool project yourself.

Along with the video I show you in the steps below how I dit it :-)

Step 2: Drawing

I started with a sketch of what I had in mind.
Then I translated this sketch into a 3D model.

To make the model I used a free software called Blender.

I made the frame not too difficult because 3D modeling and printing is all new to me.
So everything pretty straight forward.

Step 3: Preparing and Printing

I had to cut the frame into smaller pieces. This because the size of the frame is too big to print on my Ender 3.

I exported the files from Blender as .STL files and imported it into a software called Cura.

With this software you can prepare your file for the 3D printer.

I setup the printer for PLA+ and I didn't use any infill. But I did use supports.

I don't use infill because I will fill the frame with epoxy.

When I prepared all the files it was time to print.
The total printing time was about 80 hours and about 500 grams of PLA

Step 4: Putting It Together.

When the pieces came out of the printer I was really relieved that everything went well.

1. I sand the connections of the parts so they fit all nicely.
2. Then I open up all the ends of the parts, so when I pour epoxy, it will flow trough the whole frame.
3. I glue the frame together using epoxy.

Step 5: Fill It Up With Epoxy

Now I drill a small hole in the bottom of the frame and fill the whole frame with epoxy.

So it will form a really strong connection.

I do this to lessen the printing time and to make the frame extra strong.

When the epoxy is dry, I sand the frame and give it a final coat with a red coloured epoxy.
This to make it extra durable.

Step 6: Assemble

Now all left to do is assemble the bike and give it a go.

Step 7: Done :-)

My baby boy really likes his new bike.
It's still a little bit big for him, because hes only 19 months old.
But this spring he can enjoy it in the bike park.

Thank you for checking out my Instructable :-)

Please also check out my youtube channel

Comments

[OfficalGeeko]

DUDE, Why did you print the parts hollow?! now they are more fragile and likely to need to be replaced.

[mukeshg7000]

they are filled with epoxy, not fragile anymore

[Bob-Bee]

Read my Instructable or check my video and you will find out why. No they don’t need to be replaced anytime soon.

[jacklinton333]

Loved the video! Great work, and thank you for sharing.

[Bob-Bee]

Thanks you 😃

[SetoKaiba]

Wow, your first 3d printing project was a bike!!! mine was that little cat sculpture that comes with the SD card :)

[Bob-Bee]

Haha, the Dog was actually the first thing I printed ;-)
The bike was my first 'own' project.
It was straightforward. But took a long time to print.

[jeck11]

I love how you piece it out and filled it. What was your total cost (if you don't mind me asking)?

[Bob-Bee]

Tanks :-)

The totals costs in materials was just under 100$.

PLA+ (500grams) - 20$
1,5 KG epoxy - 30$
red color for coating and sanding paper - 10$
Other Bike parts - 30 $

[John LS]

Brilliant. I suggest you submit to GCN (Google and look at Youtube videos, if this doesn't mean anything to you). Fyi there is a presenter named Oliver Bridgewater who is the butt of some friendly ribbing!

[Bob-Bee]

Thank you John, I will have a look into Global Cycling Network :-) Thanks for the tip. Cheers!

[KelloT]

how much does it cost?

[Bob-Bee]

I spent about 20 dollar on the PLA+ (500grams)
And 30 dollar for 1,5 KG epoxy
A few dollars for the red color and sanding paper etc.
Bike parts about 30 dollars.

The total build was just under 100 dollars.
Not the cheapest children's bike but a unique one ;-)

Oh yes, and the 3D printer of course, that one was about 175 dollars.
But I will use it for a lot more projects :-)

[352853]

This is so cool

[Bob-Bee]

Thanks :-)

[Ham It Up]

Hello Bob, that is an incredible build! I can't believe that this is your first build. You have excelled past a large majority of 3D Printers that have been at this for a while including myself! I can make some complex prints, now, but that was after many trials and errors.

I'm also impressed with the fact that you learned how to use a 3D modeling app quickly to produce your final model. There was a long learning curve for me to learn how to use Fusion 360. I understand that Blender may be easier to use initially then Fusion 360. You also picked a good printer to complete your project.

Keep up the great work and I look forward to seeing some of your new creations in the near future!

[Bob-Bee]

Thank you :-)
The most challenging for me was to find the right material. First I wanted to use ABS, but I couldn't get it nice without warping and shrinking. For my design I needed to have the exact measurements to make all the pieces fit correctly.

Then I wanted to go for PETG, but I read that that will not bond with Epoxy.

So finally I found a high heat resistance stronger PLA. It printed very easy.

The information and tutorials on internet helped a lot with the software and the printer.

Cheers!

[LarryG7]

Great idea and instructable. To make it even stronger one might put reinforcement steel bar inside the frame when assembling it, if a way to center the bar could be found. Except that would make it pretty heavy so maybe not so good an idea.

Have you weighed it?

[Bob-Bee]

Thank you Larry,
Some steel could make it even stronger. Maybe also good to reinforce an (big) adult bike. I am really surprised how solid it already feels. More than strong enough to hold the little boy.

I didn't weigh the final bike yet, but the prints where 500 grams together.
I poured about 1,5 kg epoxy inside. So I think the complete bike will be around 2.5 KG. It feel just right, not too heavy not too light.

[cwix09]

Awesome Ible!
I saw that you are an amazon affiliate and was wondering if you were open to other affiliate type programs? Feel free to PM