Although there are several helpful resources for understanding BikeCAD in the Frequently Asked Questions section, they are not currently organized in a way that would suit someone looking to start with the basics and then move into more advanced topics. I thought I would present some links below that might be better organized for someone starting out with little understanding of BikeCAD.
Welcome: This video gives an overview of the BikeCAD.ca website along with some of the features of BikeCAD and BikeCAD Pro.
- Downloading BikeCAD Pro.
- Removing old versions of BikeCAD on a PC
- Installing BikeCAD Pro on Linux, Mac, PC.
- Installing on Windows 11.
- MacOS BigSur in Full screen mode
- Finding where BikeCAD Pro has been installed on a PC.
- Adding an icon to the start menu on Windows 10.
- Differences between Linux, Mac and PC versions.
- Updating BikeCAD Pro.
- A simple approach to Updating BikeCAD Pro.
- Launching BikeCAD Pro from a batch file.
- Free standalone version of BikeCAD.
- Installing on a Chromebook
- Placing a desktop icon on a Chromebook.
- Launching the free version of BikeCAD.
- Opening and saving designs online in BikeCAD Pro.
- Saving designs in the free version of BikeCAD.
- Setting permission levels when saving BikeCAD files online.
- Drag and Drop files into BikeCAD Pro.
- An extra note about dragging and dropping.
- Finding files quickly in the File Open dialog box.
- BikeCAD Pro Key (for saving designs online).
- Double clicking a file to open it in BikeCAD Pro.
- Displaying components, views, animation and crosshairs.
- Display modes
- Wheel display can be toggled through 4 levels of detail.
- Auxiliary views of stays.
- Changing outline thickness.
- Zooming in and out.
- Lock scale.
- Showing gearing data.
- Showing toe overlap.
- Showing lean angle.
- Importing photos.
- UCI regulations.
- Morph one model into another and save as animated GIF.
- Snapshot tool (must be enabled as described here)
- Aerobars (top view)
- Controlling hub display
- Showing dimensions
- Creating user dimensions
- Showing minimum tube lengths.
- Dimension color
- Creating angular dimensions with respect to horizontal
- Controlling line weight of dimensions.
- Interior and miter angles.
- Adding on-screen notes.
- Toe clearance dimension from ISO 4210-2: 4.13.2.2.
- Steering geometry related dimension from ISO 4210-2: Annex A, b)
- Chainline
- Horizontally oriented dimensions
- Highlighting dimensions and tables
- Custom standover height
- Toggling dimension states.
- Stack and reach to top of headset.
- Displaying angle of attack.
- Dimensions helpful for mitering to tapered head tubes.
- Defining front end geometry through front center, effective top tube length, handlebar position or stack and reach.
- Defining front end geometry in 6 different ways.
- Establishing saddle position by saddle height and seat angle or by X and Y coordinates.
- Controlling the rear end by chain stay length or by rear wheel gap. A note about bent tubes.
- Driving frame geometry by rear axle to seat tube.
- Looped stays.
- Display chainstay cutouts or dimples.
- Lock frame.
- Seat stay mounting options.
- Attaching seat stays to seat tube, but measuring from top tube.
- Discontinuous seat tube option for beam bike design
- Seat tube top profile.
- Primary dimensions.
- Extension of head tube and seat tube above top tube and below down tube.
- Tube profiles.
- Elliptical (ovalized) tubes.
- Defining head tube profiles.
- Curving tubes.
- Curved stay bridges.
- Identifying problematic curves in BikeCAD Pro.
- Alternate method for specifying curved tubes
- Removing tubes.
- Adding extra tubes.
- Extra tubes connected at only one end.
- Fillets
- Offsetting seat tube, down tube, or chain stays at the bottom bracket.
- Mitering the seat tube to the down tube or chain stays.
- Lugs
- Designing a frame to suit predefined lug angles.
- Bridges (modeling chain stay and seat stay bridges for locating caliper brakes).
- Cable guides and holes for internal cable routing.
- Locating cable guides from either end of tube.
- Cantilever brake bosses.
- Adding chainstay yokes.
- Single sided yokes applied to both drive and non-drive side.
- Seatpost clamp, binder bolt or wedge.
- Adding water bottles.
- Locating water bottle bosses from either end of the tube.
- Positioning water bottles.
- Adding single water bottle bosses.
- AI Tool
- Tandems
- Designing a mixte.
- Step through frame.
- Pinion Gearbox
- Shimano Steps electric drive.
- Motor cabinet for Shimano E6000 series STEPS system.
- Fitting bike in a travel case.
- Bakfiets style cargo bikes.
- Selecting dropouts from static drawings.
- Controlling dropout spacing.
- Orienting the angle of the slot.
- Offset rear dropouts for fatbike tire clearance.
- Using Allotec C40 modular dropouts.
- Accounting for T-Type rear derailleur mounting.
- Adjusting axle position in track and sliding dropouts
- Chain or belt drive.
- Adding components to standard parts libraries
- Lefty forks and inverted suspension forks.
- Checking fork crown clearance.
- Disc brakes.
- Model a one piece handlebar and stem.
- Brake lever styles.
- Locating front caliper brake.
- Front derailleur.
- Stems (modeling quill stems).
- Saddle fore and aft positioning.
- Saddle reference point.
- Capping the saddle clamp on a seatpost.
- Seatmast
- Dropper seatposts
- Dropper post maximum and current drop.
- Constant diameter seatposts
- Down tube and bar end shifters.
- Fenders
- Saddle dimensions
- Water bottle cages.
- Custom battery design.
- Adding frame pump.
- Mountain bar bend angle.
- Rise applied at angle in drop handlebars.
- Enve handlebars.
- New brake levers in Version 18.0.
- Mixing belt and chain drives on a tandem
- Modeling flat top chains.
- Modeling parallelogram style flat pedals.
- Paint schemes.
- Copy and pasting colors.
- Fork paint scheme.
- Freehand drawing.
- Naming freehand drawing sketches.
- Configuring paint palettes.
- Including stem, headset spacers, and pump in paint scheme.
- Brand logos.
- Decal text angle.
- Adding fonts.
- Serotta font.
- Standard fonts used by cycling brands.
- Changing logos.
- Cycling brand dingbats.
- Using the Fit adviser.
- Customizing the Fit adviser.
- Customizing fit formulas.
- Applying recommended dimensions.
- New outputs for the fit advisor.
- Approximating missing dimensions.
- Determining rider anatomy from 6 basic dimensions.
- Controlling rider anatomy in BikeCAD Pro.
- Modifying torso shape. Also note about removal of gender types in BikeCAD version 20.
- Difference between two Rider anatomy tabs.
- Rider position.
- Positioning cleats.
- Tweak hand position
- Switching helmet styles
- Saddle to pedal dimensions.
- Capturing rider geometry on your own website through PHP script.
- Modeling Center of mass.
- Using templates in BikeCAD Pro.
- Quickly changing colors, hiding components and editing geometry.
Title block and drawing border
- Setting up the title block.
- Adding your logo to the title block.
- Adding vector logos to the title block.
- Optimizing space in a drawing of a bare frame.
- Framing your design within the drawing border.
- Fitting a frame within a limited sheet size.
- Defining a custom aspect ratio for drawings.
- Adding tables to a drawing.
- Modifying title block color and gridline weights.
- Importing tabular data from CSV file.
- Customizing BikeCAD Pro.
- Configuration files in BikeCAD Pro.
- Specifying a new location for configuration files.
- Changing GUI font and text size.
- Customize Input field width.
- Changing icon size.
- Customizing the splash screen.
- Changing the look and feel.
- Changing the language.
- Language translation.
- Managing dialog boxes.
- Reversing the effect of the scroll wheel.
- Editing the view menu.
- Managing dialog boxes in single and dual monitor setups.
- Setting number of files in recent files list.
- CSV
- Optaining older version formatting in CSV files.
- Tabulating specs from multiple bikes.
- Driving vs. driven dimensions in CSV files.
- DXF
- Multi-model PDF
- Miter templates
- Miter templates at motor mount and for hooded dropouts.
- Printing miter templates (Do not scale prints)
- Bulk export PDF and SVG files
- Installing FreeCAD on MacOS
- Installing requests library on FreeCAD
- Installing requests library on FreeCAD (an alternate approach)
- Exporting to FreeCAD
- Head tube logo (Exporting to FreeCAD)
- Rear dropout spacing for thru axle dropouts
- Exporting dropouts to FreeCAD
- Photorealistic rendering using FreeCAD and CADRays
Hey Brent,
I'm just installing my 14.0 version and doing some house cleaning. One thing that has always tripped me up is trying to figure out what the difference between "model" and "bike" templates are. The Template video goes way back to before you had "model" as an option. I'm sure the info is buried in here somewhere but I can't find it.
Cheers!
Sam
When you open a normal BCAD file, it opens up with all the details about the dimensions that are displayed, the bike design, the paint scheme, which components are shown, any notes, the body geometry of the rider, whatever photo might be underlayed, and the titleblock.
As you know, you can save templates that will open only one of these elements (Dimensions, Bike, Paint etc.) A Model template opens all of them except the body geometry of the rider. So opening a Model template is just like opening a full BCAD file but without the rider.
Thanks Brent!
I got it now. Jeesh.
Hi Brent,
I'm just starting to use BikecadPro in college as a mature student so I'm practicing on the online version at home. When I tried to save my first bike drawing a 'Problem Log' dialogue box popped up. As far as I can see I've filled in all the relevant notes and clicked publish (but not Add to design archive).
I started by choosing the nearest version on the design archive of the bike that I want to design and build (Ferraroli Callifornia MTB 1991) Should I have started from a blank template instead?
Many thanks,
Peadar
Hello
I am gregbowers. I am new member here. Thanks for sharing BikeCAD user guide . Very usefull.