Rachel Lynette - Bicycles Before the Store

Published by The Childs World
1980 Lookout Drive Mankato, MN 56003-1705
800-599-READ www.childsworld.com

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The Childs World: Mary Berendes, Publishing Director
The Design Lab: Design and production
Red Line Editorial: Editorial direction
Content Consultant: S. Jack Hu, Ph.D., J. Reid and Polly Anderson Professor of Manufacturing Technology,
Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Industrial and Operations Engineering, The University of Michigan

Copyright 2012 by The Childs World
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means
without written permission from the publisher.

ISBN 9781609736767
LCCN 2011940069

PHOTO CREDITS
Lisa Vanovitch/Dreamstime, cover, 1; Ferguswang/Dreamstime, cover (inset), 1 (inset); Sergey Peterman/
Bigstock, 5; Andriy Solovyov/Bigstock, 7; Duff Bassett/iStockphoto, 9, 30 (top); Anthony Hall/Dream
stime, 15; Mike Thomas/Bigstock, 17, 31 (top); Shutterstock Images, 18; RFJ Photo/Shutterstock Images,
21, 31 (middle); Eimantas Buzas/Shutterstock Images, 23; TOSP Photo/Shutterstock Images, 25; Peter
Spirer/Dreamstime, 29, 31 (bottom)

Design elements: Lisa Vanovitch/Dreamstime

Printed in the United States of America

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rachel Lynette loves riding her bicycle! She has written more than 100 books for children as
well as many teacher resources. She also writes blogs for teachers and parents. Rachel lives
near Seattle, Washington. She has a daughter in high school and a son in college.

Handlebars, Brake Levers,
and Gearshifts

CHAPTER ONE

One Bike, Many Parts

Do you know how to ride a bicycle? Its fun to fly
down hills and ride fast to the park. What is your
bike like? Does it have different speeds? Is there a
basket up front? People ride bikes to work, for fun,
or for exercise. Some people ride a bike instead
of driving a car. And bikes come in many colors,
shapes, and styles. Some are cruisers. They have high
handlebars. Some are dirt bikes. They have thick tires
and are good for trails. And some are made for speed.

More than 105 million
bikes are made every
year around the world!

They are light so
they can move fast.

Have you thought about
how bicycles are made? There are many steps. Take
a close look at a bicycle. How many different parts
do you see? These parts are made at different places.
Then they are brought to a bicycle factory. They are
put together on the frame. The frame holds all the
bicycle parts together.

There are many different parts on a bicycle.

CHAPTER TWO

Making Frame Tubes

The frame of a bicycle is the most important part.
The other parts of the bike are put on the frame.
A bike frame must be strong, but it must also be
light. Most bike frames are made from metal tubes.
The tubes are welded together. They are usually
made from steel. Some are made from titanium ,
aluminum , or other metals.

Metal must be mined, or dug from the earth.
Steel is an alloy . It is made by mixing iron with

Metal is mined to make the frame.

MAKING FRAME TUBES

carbon or other kinds of metals. At a steel factory,
the iron is heated in a furnace. It becomes a liquid.
Then other metals are mixed with the iron. It is now
liquid steel.

The liquid steel is poured into molds to form
blocks. The blocks are then heated in a furnace. They are
made into a round shape. Strong rollers shape the metal.
Then a machine makes the hole that goes through the
center of the tube. All of this is done while the metal is
very hot. The metal cools and becomes hard. Then the
tubes are sent to the bicycle factory.

Metal is melted at very high temperatures.

CHAPTER THREE

At the Bicycle Factory

The tubes are all the same length when they arrive at
the factory. A bike frame is made from different sizes
of tubes. A special machine cuts the tubes. It makes
the lengths that will be needed for the frame.

Next the tubes are shaped by a machine. The
tubes are fed through a series of rollers. The rollers
bend and shape the metal. The tubes may be made
thinner in some places and thicker in others. They
may be shaped into curves. It depends on the design

AT THE BICYCLE FACTORY

The tubes are bent and shaped through a series of rollers.

At the Bicycle Factory

of the bike. Another machine cuts the ends of the
tubes. The tubes need to fit into each other when the
frame is put together.

To make the frame, a machine welds the tubes
together. This is done at very high temperatures. The
joints get so hot that they glow bright orange! It takes

Tubes are welded together to make the frame.

At the Bicycle Factory

about four minutes for the welds to cool down. This
must be done several times to make the whole frame.
Welding can make the frame crooked. A worker uses
another machine to make the frame straight.

Next the frame is painted. The paint makes the
frame look good. It also helps to keep it from rusting.

The frames are sprayed with paint.