MSC Southeast's Bicycle Design and Fabrication program will showcase student projects in Red Wing on May 9
Bicycle Program Showcase
Tuesday, May 9, 2023 from 5 to 6:30 pm
Bicycle Design and Fabrication Lab
Minnesota State College Southeast, Red Wing Campus
308 Pioneer Road, Red Wing, MN
Free and open to the public; light refreshments will be served
Download a poster (pdf)
With a name that sounds like "Rider," it's not surprising that Reider Litzenberger has a passion for bicycles.
Reider, who came to Red Wing from Asheville, North Carolina, is graduating this spring with an Associate of Applied Science in Bicycle Design and Fabrication. He has completed two bike frames, and one of them has already been powder coated and fully built out.
You can see this bike and several other newly designed and built frames on May 9, when the Bicycle Design and Fabrication program hosts an open house to showcase the work completed in the program by students this year.
Second-year students will have a number of complete bicycle frames on display, which they have custom designed and fabricated. First year students will also have projects on display.
"I personally designed and built this frame," Reider said, rolling his 26" dirt jumper out the lab door and riding it up and down the college hallway. "The great thing is, I took ideas in my head from other dirt jumper bikes that I've ridden in the past and then I modified the geometry to fit my body, my arm length, my inseam, my legs. This bike fits me perfectly."
A dirt jumper is specifically designed for riding on tracks with a variety of steep jumps designed for maximum airtime.
Reider explained, "The geometry is very aggressive and low, and the seat is pushed very far down, so that you can move your body weight around when you're hitting big jumps."
Throughout the year Reider ordered components to complete the project. "You have to work out an ordering list for all the parts that you're going to put on the bike, and everything has to match perfectly with the frame. Plus you've got to get all the parts at the right time. It's all got to work together."
There is a lot invested in his bike. "Custom bikes cost a lot of money and if you're going to build something like this, you want the best components. I saved up to build a bike like this," Reider commented.
Like many students in Bicycle Design and Fabrication, Reider already owns quite a few bikes, but the chance to design and build his own custom frames in Red Wing drew him to the program.
After graduation, he intends to go on to a four-year university program in business or entrepreneurship closer to his home state of North Carolina.
"The Bicycle Program Showcase is also a chance to tour the lab and see all of the new equipment that has been installed this year," said instructor Matt Blanshan. "We are looking forward to welcoming prospective students, members of our advisory committee, and anyone who shares our passion for bicycles to our showcase on May 9."