School Project

[wickeneering]

First, I want to say that I joined this forum to post this thread. I hope that this doesn't violate any of the moderation rules. It didn't say in the FAQ. I am a guy too. Hopefully I won't get thrown out for that either. I like the style here, so here it goes...

I'm a mechanical engineering senior at Saint Louis University. The final project is to design a new product. My group was all set to create an air pump that was part of the bike frame when Google informed us that somebody already made one of those. So we've gone back to the brainstorming phase. What would really help us is getting a broader view of the issues that the cycling community faces. My group would really like to hear from you about your cycling experiences. We're looking for things like:

What you wish you had for your bike or on your bike?
What you would want improved on the bike?
What annoys you about bike riding, things that are hard and that you wish were easier?
Any accidents you have had or problems that could have been prevented?


We are open to any ideas and are just interested to hear what your experience has to say. Thank you so much for taking a few minutes to jot down a comment or suggestion.

[lph]

Hi, and welcome. Your post was commendably clear and open and I doubt anyone will object. Off the top of my head: I ride year-round and do my own maintenance, and I'm sick of stuff that can't handle weather. I realize that most cycling is done in fair weather, but I see no reason that a bike shouldn't handle rain, snow and temperatures below freezing. I would like to see robust, all weather, all season bikes. Ditto for clothing. Clothing for cold weather isn't too difficult, clothing for wet weather is. It's very hard to find rain gear that actually protects you from rain without you getting wet from the inside, and that will last. In general I feel there are too many bikes out there that are built to be light and sexy, but not to last and be easy to care for. For example, on my mtb with Hayes disc brakes there's a screw on the reservoir up on the bars, which needs to be opened when bleeding the brakes. It's a tiny screw, the smallest torx I have (10). It had been slightly overtightened (but no obvious corrosion) and I broke two torx bits trying to get it off. Had it only been sized a bit bigger it would have been no problem.

[wickeneering]

Thanks for the response. Ouch, that screw sounds like a pain. Did you get it off in the end?

[lph]

No, I had to resort to the extra screw underneath, and turn the reservoir upside down.

[smilingcat]

have you thought of recumbents or trikes or velomobile? Lookup streamliner and battle mountain and you will find some spiffy design. Human powered two wheel bikes are going through a speed trap in excess of 100Km/hr or 70MPH. Close but no cigars for record breaker.

I still own my time trial bike and a road bike. I'm not allowed to ride on them anymore as I've had too many head injuries. Next fall off my road/TT bike will be my last. So I putz around on a very heavy trike. I was designing and building my own when life got in the way. It still is. so its on the back burner. I may yet buy a very nice CatTrike Pocket. It's small enough for me. Cost is well, some might consider too expensive, others consider it reasonable.

I wish there was something as practical as ELF but with better body design and lighter. ELF is more of a pedal assisted e-nano car than a electric assisted trike.

One thing I used to hate is the way cycling computer worked. Too many button combination and too many menus to do when you are riding.

[smilingcat]

Oh and there are number of non-circular chain ring designs. Elliptical, bio-pace (which I really hated) and one other one for which I can't remember the name of. Did any of them do what they claimed "to imrpove the pedaling efficiency"? I don't know.

And saddle, I've seen some really odd designs. Might be something interesting to look at. I just see it as a fad sometimes. Like the snub nosed seat. It started with pro riders wanting to push the seat as far foward as possible so they blunted out the nose to gain additional inch forward. There are rules regarding the geometry of your bike.

insulated water bottle to keep your drinks cold for longer period of time.

A jacket with circulating cool water to keep you cool (such things already exists) maybe something lighter with evaporative cooling instead.

Maybe a better rear view mirror instead of handle mounted or eye-glass mounted mirror.

A better lock design, maybe integrated into the frame. Or a theft proof quick release seat post.

[malkin]

I like all the suggestions!
Remember that if you do any clothing design it has to work when a person is moving at bike speeds, which are not as slow as some car drivers and clothing designers think. Rain poncho is the funniest example I know.

[Blueberry]

I wish there was something as practical as ELF but with better body design and lighter. ELF is more of a pedal assisted e-nano car than a electric assisted trike.

Elf is in my home town, and I really have mixed feelings about it. People have been fairly inconsiderate in their use (or at least their parking). They lock to bike racks, and block the whole sidewalk - so pedestrians are out in traffic/walking between parked cars/etc. From my perception, at least, it's causing some anti-cyclist sentiment. It's a tough call - do you treat it like a bike or a car or something else? Where do you park it? How do you handle different traffic situations? I don't know how you answer that - but it's definitely causing some conflict.

To answer the original question: the perfect bike bag. Fits on a rack, comfortable as a backpack or shoulder bag, lots of pockets (for pens, wallet, bus pass, keys, contact solution, etc.), waterproof without a cover (to get lost), no velcro, holds bulky items (many are tall and skinny, and don't hold things like lunch boxes well), durable, and attractive.

[OakLeaf]

I would love a simple test or gadget to know what shape saddle would work best for someone. That's more ergonomic/biomechanical engineering and may or may not be out of the scope of your project.



.... but I am visualizing a multi-part saddle that's adjustable for width in at least three different areas (sitbone support, end of nose, more central), and maybe for length as well, that could be used in bike shops in the same way as the sizing bikes and adjustable stems they have ... would only need to have enough padding and comfort for say 20 minutes of pedaling, enough for the rider to settle into their natural riding position and see whether their sitbones are supported and whether their thighs are making contact ...

[shootingstar]

A better lock design, maybe integrated into the frame. Or a theft proof quick release seat post.

Anything on the lock side would be great --short of someone lifting the whole bike away.

A bike rack that commercial companies can....buy from Home Depot and they install it directly on their property with appropriate expertise/equipment. I bet a lot of companies are lazy (well they're not going to contact their municipality and figure out the layers of bureaucracy for advice), or just don't know how to get the best one for their needs if they search the broad Internet. The major Canadian cities (over 1 million) do have staff person who can recommend to local companies what to consider for bike racks.

Consider alternatives for collective/grouped bike parking as more cities increase cycling and try to find solutions that don't require a person to man the secured area.

Whatever you do, Don't require hanging bikes..very awkward to maneouvre for those who are short like me, don't have carbon light bikes, etc.