He takes the measurements of his friend’s bike, transferring them onto Linkage, a software that analyzes the suspension dynamics of the bike. Designing the makeshift proprietary sprocket, he sends it to his 3D printer and fits it into the bike as an adapter. After two weeks of hard work, industrial design teacher Kyle Kinne is ready to return the bike to his friend.
Kinne’s passion for engineering led him to pursue projects independently after he became an expert in the field. Since his favorite pastime is mountain biking on the trails near his house, Kinne combines his expertise by tweaking his mountain bike and creating special cranks for his handlebar stand and bike wheels.
“I really like solving the puzzle. I like figuring out how to solve the solution. I just want that process or that design to be the best,” he said.
Many of his friends share his hobby of mountain biking. Kinne would take it on himself to adjust and fix both his and his friends’ bikes when necessary. He mainly uses resources such as SolidWorks, 3D printers and Linkage in his process.
Kinne had started racing with his mountain bike in high school, always trying to get faster times. At the same time, he took an engineering class, an experience that led him to bring out his tools and use his acquired knowledge to start experimenting with his bike. His interest followed him to college when he attended the University of California, Riverside, earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering and later worked as a mechanical engineer for Facebook and Amazon.
“[In high school], I was reading articles online about how suspension worked and thought that was interesting. That’s kind of where it all started,” he said. “I like mechanical engineering because it’s very concrete. It’s not like art where it’s so fluffy and people would give criticism. Mechanical engineering either works or it doesn’t.”
Prior to knowing his field of study, Kinne actually started biking for fun at age 12. He and his friends lived just a mile away from the trails so they would ride over everyday after school and spend 30-45 minutes in the mountains. When they went on school breaks, Kinne and his friends took themselves to longer trails in places such as Big Bear, Mammoth or Utah.
“[Mountain biking] is definitely stress relieving for me. There’s a 30-40 minute pedal to the top of the trail and that time is very meditative because you’re sitting there and not a lot is going on. It’s nice to be out there by yourself with very little [stress],” he said.
After starting as a teacher on campus, Kinne now has a more structured schedule. As a result, he is able to allocate a certain time for his hobby. Currently, Kinne mountain bikes an average of five times a week after school.
“I like the downhill, steepness and adrenaline of the activity. As I’ve been getting older, I like the fitness aspect. It’s a good hobby to get outdoors,” he said. “[When I work on my bike], I’ll usually try things with spacers. When I find it good, I’ll make something more permanent. Sometimes, it’s frustrating, but if it’s for my friend and I can give them [advice], that makes it more exciting.”
