Who is the man who made the wooden bicycle?
Gašper Cafuta is a mechanist at heart. And stubborn, very stubborn. At 28, being immensely persistent and goal-oriented, he obtained his doctorate in the field of numerical analysis at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana. Today, he is the owner of a company engaged in the development of new products, new production technologies, and tools –
On the outside, he seems serious and calm, but his friends can tell you that that is (always) far from the truth. However, he does have serious ideas that he always brings to life. And friends that upgrade these ideas. One of these ideas is also a wooden bicycle.
It started with curiosity. “Can it be done? Can we make a bicycle frame that is made out of wood and can weigh less than 2 kg? Can we make a wooden bicycle frame that will be as durable as the best carbon frames? Can we make a beautiful wooden frame?” He then sat behind his computer.
In the evenings, whenever he had some extra free time, he used Abaqus software to calculate and optimize a wooden frame. Then came the day when the prototype was ready for milling. Of course, the first time cannot go to plan, so Gašper sat down behind the computer once again. After only a few tries and countless hours of drawing, calculating, grinding, and lacquering, he did it.
Who is the man who made the wooden bicycle?
Gašper Cafuta is a mechanist at heart. And stubborn, very stubborn. At 28, being immensely persistent and goal-oriented, he obtained his doctorate in the field of numerical analysis at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana. Today, he is the owner of a company engaged in the development of new products, new production technologies, and tools – www.cafuta.eu
On the outside, he seems serious and calm, but his friends can tell you that that is (always) far from the truth. However, he does have serious ideas that he always brings to life. And friends that upgrade these ideas. One of these ideas is also a wooden bicycle.
It started with curiosity. “Can it be done? Can we make a bicycle frame that is made out of wood and can weigh less than 2 kg? Can we make a wooden bicycle frame that will be as durable as the best carbon frames? Can we make a beautiful wooden frame?” He then sat behind his computer.
In the evenings, whenever he had some extra free time, he used Abaqus software to calculate and optimize a wooden frame. Then came the day when the prototype was ready for milling. Of course, the first time cannot go to plan, so Gašper sat down behind the computer once again. After only a few tries and countless hours of drawing, calculating, grinding, and lacquering, he did it.
He made a wooden frame, weighing approximately 1900 g, as durable as a carbon frame, and, well, even more beautiful than a carbon frame.
How did the story about us DOS 2015 continue? They are very intertwined. When Gašper’s friends found out about his wooden project, the consequence was almost inevitable – taking the wooden frame to DOS! Uroš was not exactly thrilled, but when he saw the bicycle in person for the first time, the decision was clear. Action!
Last year’s group leader Dejan was thrilled about the idea, and when Anžon smiled as well, the story about DOS 2015 began. Well, let’s not forget that these special men have even more special and understanding wives behind them, who get and support them. And so we began writing history…
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