1. Propagating and advancing the best techniques of fitting and constructing bicycles for the performance of the bicycle and the enjoyment of their clients.
    
2. Acting as an advocacy group for these builders.
    
3. Providing access to technology and materials resources not easily available in the normal commercial channels.
    
4. Document the step by step development of skills in plain talk, but with technical details in review.
    
5. Create a clear understanding of how design and materials selection influences performance and rider compatibility.

To help ensure product excellence, Cycle Design Group is dedicated to teaching and sharing best construction practices. Beginning with the fundamentals of building through to optimizing frame design and materials selection to create an optimal tailored product in an individual manner based on rider criteria. Naturally, this will include analysis of joining methods, the interrelation between various frame parts and various frame materials.

Along the way, we will attempt to scrutinize common beliefs from the perspective of engineering and empirical testing to sort out fact from fiction among these beliefs. The CDG will also attempt to:

1. Clarify dos and don’ts of frame building based on the years of practice and study by key member practitioners of the art and science of frame building.
    
2. Debunking cosmetic fabrication compared to building skills utilizing fully functional elements in an attractive professionally finished manner.
    
3. Provide analysis regarding design considerations from a bike/rider performance perspective. (Layout dimensions practically applied to provide best rider fit and comfort).

We will also act as a clearinghouse of information regarding issues such as tooling, health & safety, best business practices, certifications & licenses and insurance. To these ends, the CDG:

1. Supports and leverages www.frameforum.org and the framebuilders list Framebuilders
    
2. Reviews containing amendments, additions and updates of frame design books and manuals including the splendid newly published edition of the Paterek manual.
    
3. Provides links to consumables, equipment, support and parts.
    
4. Operates in harmony with UBI and shares information with UBI staff.
    
5. Supports and promotes the North American Hand Made Bicycle Show dot Com
    
6. In conjunction with Arizona Bike Center School,  detailed information regarding products, and product usage and the up to date information from the manufacturers of consumables and equipment is always available

In order to advance the art, we believe it is important to understand the history of the profession. CDG will develop an accurate history of American pre and post WW2 frame building, including the role and effect that small production shops have had on current frame production. This history will incorporate the use of oversize and shaped tubing, and knowledge derived from these practices. CDG will also maintain contacts with, and share information from other industries where advances in techniques, materials, and procedures may be transferable to bicycles – documenting history in the making for use by all builders.

CDG, in 2004 and 2005, created new construction products and through historical research has returned highly desirable construction products that had reached great refinement but were lost from industry during and after WW2 and replaced in industry with cheaper generic products.

The new products include never before available metal joint strengthening technology in both metals to be joined and the joining materials themselves. At the pinnacle of this development, operator safety and health issues set the pace and procedure for selection from hundreds of formulas to provide products with incredible ease of use, maximum performance potential and total operator health and safety.

Current Research:

1. Titanium joining by brazing is now possible and is still under constant development. The most compatible material other than titanium to join to titanium is stainless steel. The goal of this research group is to develop the procedure to the point that it can be commonplace in the individual frame builders workshop.
    
2. Aluminum and magnesium materials are currently in the spotlight of aerospace research and many cutting edge developments are emerging from that community.  To state it briefly; heat treating and mill material composition have taken a back seat to technologies involving cryogenics and chemical thermal processing, multi metal fusion composites, forming techniques, post joining reinstatement techniques resulting in super metals that show great promise if applied to cycle frame construction in our future.
    
3. Enhancing steel tubing by the application of alternate technologies has provided very promising results. These technologies are currently available in various stages.
   CDG has developed a very simple user friendly process, dubbed "System 3", that requires only minimum specialized equipment. This system greatly improves steel performance.
   The next level would involve outsourcing precision cryogenics and is not being considered at this time. CDG plans to involve these higher level processes.
    
4. Fundamental adaptation of tooling
    
5. Patent processes (patents to be titled CDG)

Resources and Archives

1. Published Documents in HTML and PDF require no passwords or membership to access. 
2. Links to Research Documents are Archived and require username and password to ensure privacy of emerging information and to guard against possible miss-use by untrained users  technique <> Contact fredparr@fredparr.com 
3. Formal ongoing education in hands on instructed classes are available in at least 10 areas of frame building and bicycle repair at United Bicycle Institute (UBI) go to BIKE SCHOOL . COM
   and Arizona Bike Center School
4. Current products exclusive to CDG available to members. Introduction 
5. All CDG Brazing Products are manufactured in the USA.  All are fully certified.