Bike pump opportunity

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Figure 1: Inspiration for potential bike accessories
Figure 1: Inspiration for potential bike accessories

Contents

Executive Summary

Through Phase II, we have identified likely bike accessories that we think will do particularly well in a market. Through the market research phase, we found that most bike users are adapting accessories to meet their particular needs. Additionally, bike users aim to find a bike with better performance as the number one factor. After brainstorming possible ideas through various techniques, our group has decided upon inventing a better and more affordable dropper seat post.

Imagine that Billy, an avid biker, is out biking through the hilly terrain of the Allegheny mountains. It is a Tuesday and slightly cloudy. As he treks through a rocky and quite muddy trail leading up the north side of the mountain, Billy needs to stand up to gain better momentum when biking. His stomach grumbles, but he knows that he doesn't have any food with him because his new dropper seat post cost over $400 and he just couldn't afford a Subway sandwich. He reaches down to pull the trigger on his dropper seat post, and his bike seat quickly lowers, crashing to the frame below him. As he reaches the top of the mountain, he must now raise his seat again, but alas! He must stop, get off his bike, drop the kick stand, raise the seat, and then continue riding. This angers Billy, as he would have preferred to reach the top and then glide back down the South side of the mountain without a care in the world. Because of his anger, Billy rushes to get the seat back up, and doesn't get it back to the right height without many trials and errors. Had Billy invested in Group 2's revised dropper seat post, he would have been able to pull the trigger while riding and watched as his seat slowly lowers down. Once Billy reached the top of the mountain, he would have been able to pull the trigger again, and his seat would slowly rise up again back to the same height, without injuring Billy and making his mountain bike riding experience more enjoyable.

Market Research

Our group used a variety of means to perform market research to understand and brainstorm potential design projects for Phase III. The following are details about each aspect of our market research.

Pittsburgh Critical Mass

Figure 2: Pittsburgh Critical Mass logo
Figure 2: Pittsburgh Critical Mass logo
Figure 3: Critical Mass Bikers taking to the streets
Figure 3: Critical Mass Bikers taking to the streets

Critical Mass is an event that occurs on the last Friday of every month celebrating alternative forms of transportation. In a mass of bicycle riders, the goal is to remind people that bikes are an efficient means of transport and deserve a place on the road ("Pittsburgh Critical Mass").

Critical Mass provided our group opportunity to interact and observe a large collection of bike riders in the area who are serious and passionate about bicycling and bicycles. The atmosphere of Critical Mass is supportive and communal, so every rider we talked to was very ready to answer our questions.

Critical Mass provided our group with easy access to observe many bike riders and the opportunity to interview those same bike riders for information regarding their preferences and opinions about necessary and lacking bike accessories.

User Interview

Figure 4: GoPro Camera Mount
Figure 4: GoPro Camera Mount

Before the bike ride began, we interviewed a few local Pittsburgh bikers. We mainly asked bikers what accessories it was that they thought were most needed or lacking in the market. The main responses were a GoPro-style iPhone mount or a cheap dropper post seat (idea below in Design Concepts).

The GoPro Camera Mount pictured is a camera-mounting system for a bike. It allows for the provided camera to be safely and securely mounted to allow for wide-angle photos to be captured while riding a bike. The purpose of having a GoPro-style iPhone mount would be to allow for users to safely and securely mount an iPhone to their bike handlebars and use their phone as a camera. Reliability would be of utmost importance when designing and manufacturing a product such as this because consumers would want to rest assured that their expensive iPhone would not be at any risk to fall off of the mount while the user is on a bike ride, thus causing possible irreparable damage to the phone.

User Observations

Figure 5: User mounted bike accessories
Figure 5: User mounted bike accessories

After talking to a few of the bike riders, we watched as the mass rode off to take over the streets in their bikes. Our key observations from Critical Mass show that many bike riders have configured some sort of handlebar flashlight. Additionally, we noticed that about 50% of the bike riders wore helmets and approximately 30% of riders had some sort of pack. Many of the bikes were leaning against a tree or bench and very few actually had a kickstand. These observations are also important in helping us to identify consumer markets for potential bike products.

Other accessories that were observed included the following:

  • Digital Tripmeter
  • Bell
  • Custom Handle Grips
  • Cable Lock
  • Water Bottle
  • U-lock
  • Saddlebag
  • Fenders
  • Underseat Rear Light
  • Kickstand

Expert Interview

To conduct an expert interview, our group interviewed one of the experienced volunteers at Free Ride. Free Ride is a bicycle recycling and education facility focused on teaching the do-it-yourself approach to bicycle repair and maintenance. The basic philosophy of Free Ride revolves around the old saying “If you give a person a fish they will eat for one day but if you teach them how to fish they will eat for a lifetime.” Free Ride aims at teaching people how to acquire the skills to keep a bike running and in good working condition, and by completing the Earn-A-Bike program, bike riders can receive a spiffy bike that they have repaired themselves ("Free Ride Pittsburgh"). They are a not-for-profit organization and collect bicycles donated from the community to be fixed up and recycled by a new user. Having these used bicycles come through the shop regularly, they are able to witness some interesting additions people have created or installed on their bikes while they used them. In addition, they're also members of the Pittsburgh biking community and ride bikes themselves, so they have a sense of what current riders are doing or even what they have adapted or noticed themselves.

Our interview with the mechanic from Free Ride provided us with key insight as to the condition of many recycled bicycles and hand-made accessories. Although the mechanic didn't provide much useful information, he did tell us that he often finds recycled bicycles coming in with many unique and handmade accessories. The most common type of accessory that he finds on bikes is those for storage. While our market research shows a big trend in the need for adaptable storage means for bikes, our group doesn't feel as though this market and project ideas are within the scope of the class, and most likely will not pursue the storage accessory route further.

Survey

In order to gain more information from bike users regarding bike use, accessory use, modification of accessories and key features for which bike users look for in a bike, we sent out an online survey to friends. We received 187 responses back from predominantly college students. Of those 187 responses, 124 participants own a bike and 63 participants do not own a bike. This allowed us to identify that 66% of college students own a bike based on our random sampling. Figures 6-13 show the breakdown of the data gathered from our survey. The survey questions can be found in the Appendix.

Figure 6: BikeSurveyYo Question 1
Figure 6: BikeSurveyYo Question 1
Figure 7: BikeSurveyYo Question 2
Figure 7: BikeSurveyYo Question 2
Figure 8: BikeSurveyYo Question 3
Figure 8: BikeSurveyYo Question 3
Figure 9: BikeSurveyYo Question 5
Figure 9: BikeSurveyYo Question 5
Figure 10: BikeSurveyYo Question 6
Figure 10: BikeSurveyYo Question 6
Figure 11: BikeSurveyYo Question 7
Figure 11: BikeSurveyYo Question 7
Figure 12: BikeSurveyYo Question 8 & 9
Figure 12: BikeSurveyYo Question 8 & 9
Figure 13: BikeSurveyYo Question 4
Figure 13: BikeSurveyYo Question 4

From the data we were able to gather via the survey, in Fig. 7 we can see that most people don't know what kind of bike they ride or do not identify their bike as one of the other options. This information is important because it informed our group that most bike users are not experts when it comes to bikes, and so when they are looking for products in the market, they will focus on simple products that easily identify and provide for their needs. In Fig. 8, our data shows that about half of the bike users ride their bikes at least once a day, with approximately 1/3 of the participants using their bike more than once a day. Because the majority of our survey participants are college students, we assume that these participants are most likely using their bikes to get to and from class.

About 70% of bike users in the study do own some sort of bike accessory, as identified in Question 6 and Fig. 10. Fig. 11 shows that about 1/3 of the bike accessories owned are for safety, with other categories varying. In Fig. 12, from the identified free response answers to Question 8 and Question 9, we see that the majority of adapted accessories also pertain to safety and storage. The most identified missing or adapted accessories are listed within the table. However, the most common identified missing accessories (receiving at least 5 of the same free responses) are "Built-in night time safety devices", "Small items/Cup holder" and "Small, portable, modular tool kits". The majority of bike user participants identified the need to have sturdy handlebar lights, a small iPhone or regular bottle holder, or a tool kit that attaches to the bike and allows for the user to pick and choose which tools to take with him/her.

In Fig. 13, we have identified what users are looking for most when purchasing a bike. The mass-majority of responses showed that performance was the main factor when deciding on a bike. Aesthetics and light-weight were the second most important factor. Finally, durability and comfort were the third most important factors.

Product Stakeholder Needs

Question 4 of our survey allowed us to identify our stakeholder's main product needs. The identified stakeholder for this purpose is the bike rider. The identified product is a bicycle. The needs are those needs that are essential to the bike rider when searching for a bicycle to encourage the stakeholder to make the purchase.

Needs # of Responses  % of Responses
Durability 2010
Smooth Ride 42
Aesthetics 3216
Light weight 2512
Versatility 63
Easy maintenance 73
Accessories 21
Personality 63
Price 126
Quality Components 84
Performance 4723
Speed/Gears 126
Comfort 2311

While performance is the number one response, it is interesting to note that price was not one of the main contributing factors to purchasing a bike. This shows that bike riders would rather have a bike that effectively meets their needs versus saving money. Purchasing a bike is an investment that users are willing to sacrifice money for more comfort, quality, performance or versatility. We think it is safe to assume that bike riders will also think the same way about a well-produced accessory that effectively meets their needs in terms of the identified stakeholder needs as well.

Design Concepts

Our top design was the dropper seat post. The dropper seat post was ranked among the other designs using a Pugh chart (shown below).

The following four design concepts, after voting, were identified as the most useful and interesting to the group. Within each design concept is a description and sketch, along with potential opportunities for use.

Cornering Headlight

Figure 14: Cornering Headlight
Figure 14: Cornering Headlight
Figure 15: Cornering Headlight
Figure 15: Cornering Headlight

Figure 14 is identified the function of the cornering headlight. The issue-to-be-addressed is that a consistently forward-facing headlight does not illuminate the optimal area of road when making turns. Also, the biking community seems to have an affinity for aesthetics and stylish accessories, a "cool" factor in informal terms.

Figure 15 illustrates the basic operational mechanism within the cornering headlight. Since travel-speed turning involves a lean towards the side the biker is turning, a weight in the flashlight will respond proportional to the lean. This response will be related via linkage to movement of the reflector to redirect light in the direction of the turn.

Since the mechanism is mechanical, rather than the motor-driven version found in luxury cars, it will be competitively priced compared to other headlights, and the uniqueness will appeal to bicyclists trying to personalize their two-wheeled friends.

Automatic Kickstand

Figure 16: Automatic Kickstand
Figure 16: Automatic Kickstand

The product is more of a convenience accessory aimed to those bikers with high seats. When bikers with high seats need to stop at a red light or stop sign, they need to get off their seat and straddle the frame in order to touch the ground to keep balance. This product will allow the user to press a button or a trigger that will kick out he two-sided kickstand so that getting off the seat is no necessary to keep the bike from tipping over. Once the user is ready to ride off again, the action of pedaling will pick up the kickstand and lock it in place, ready to be triggered again by the rider.

Energy Storage Wheel

Figure 17: Energy Storage Wheel
Figure 17: Energy Storage Wheel

As the bike sprocket rotates a fixed angled gear also rotates. The angled gear tightens a spring and advances a key that holds the spring tight. When the biker needs a boost of momentum, they squeeze a lever on the handlebars that releases the key and the spring propels the bike forward. This could be useful in many situations. For example, when a biker comes to a stop on a hill and they need help getting the bike moving again our device can supply them with the needed force to continue on.

Dropper Seat Post

Figure 18: Dropper Seat Post
Figure 18: Dropper Seat Post
Figure 19: Dropper Seat Post
Figure 19: Dropper Seat Post

The dropper seat post is a product that already exists on the market, but we feel we could improve greatly upon. In talking with bike riders as well as many product reviews online, we found that the current market of dropper seat posts are extremely expensive and perform mediocre at best. There are numerous complaints of non-tight seals, wobbling, and sliding of seat posts with the dropper seat post, and at a price point of upwards of $300, that is not acceptable for most riders.

It would work using a standard brake cable and some trigger device (either a handle bar mounted switch or one under the seat). When the trigger is engaged, the brake cable disengages a pin from the seat post allowing the height to drop to a pre-determined new height. Upon releasing the trigger, the seat would raise via hydraulics or spring activation to the original height and the pin would reengage.

Pugh Chart

Below is a Pugh Chart comparing our top 4 design concept ideas and the scoring system that was used to narrow down our ideas to a single selection. All of our ideas stem from identified product stakeholder needs and have a big variety as to what problem they attempt to solve, making it difficult to compare the concepts to a standard product. In using the following scoring system, we had entirely original ideas and therefore could not compare the concepts to a standard product. We qualitatively defined the values like so:

Pugh Chart Comparison Criteria and Values
Criteria - 0 +
Cost High Prototyping or Consumer cost Moderate Prototyping and Consumer cost Low Prototyping and Consumer cost
Greenness Use produces electronic waste Use produces no waste Use produces waste
User Experience Is cumbersome or unattractive Does not significantly change user experience Simplifies user experience or looks stylish
Manufacturability Has many or complex components Uses moderately numerous and complex components Uses few, simple components
Safety Is a source of risk Does not change safety of user Positively contributes to user safety
Portability Is heavy or bulky Adds no noticeable weight Is lightweight or facilitates movement
Need/Market Niche market Has a market but is not a necessity Current solutions are nonexistent or unpopular
Class Fit Excessively simple or prohibitively complex for 40 person-weeks Neither particularly simple nor complex Mechanical complexity fits group skillset and budget


Figure 20: Pugh Chart
Figure 20: Pugh Chart


Initially running our top 15 ideas through our Pugh Chart gave us grounds to make our first cut down to 7. Then, our Pugh Chart reduced to a loose guideline, and we looked at specific categories to make the final cuts down to 4 top choices. Note that all four have Positive contributions to Class Fit, what we deemed our most important criterion.

When we were choosing our top idea, we used a Pugh Chart to compare the qualifications of each possible idea. From our survey we were able to conclude that cost, experience and efficiency were the most popular concerns of bike riders. We used these criteria along with class fit and the need of the possible product to narrow our selection. This was done by giving either a + if it had a positive characteristic, a – for a negative trait, or 0 if it did not give to either for each idea. We weighted market and class fit higher than the rest to ensure our idea was appropriate. This method was effective because it removed the effect of a voter’s biases toward an idea. The Pugh chart was applied to a variety of ideas but our top choices are displayed above with dropper seat post idea in the forefront.

Gantt Chart

Below is a Gantt Chart outlining a detailed plan for the continuation of this project. Included within the chart are are all team meetings and reviews with Professor Michael (in green) and all project milestones (in blue diamonds). These milestones include deadlines for reviews, including class presentations, and the final design exposition. School breaks are included in the schedule because these are times in which the group does not plan on working on the project. These breaks are outlined in red. Finally, each major term of the project is included and then divided into subtasks. The subtasks also include a team leader. These leaders are not responsible or expected to be the only person completing this portion of the project. They are solely the person responsible for scheduling team meetings pertaining to that project section and ensuring that the group is aware of what additional portions of the subtask need to be completed. In this respect, Patrick will lead the CAD modeling efforts. Amber will take the lead in ordering parts for the prototype and for the user test. JR and Dinesh will lead the prototype build efforts. Finally, Lauren will continue to lead the reports and Amber and Lauren will lead the analysis.

Figure 21: Gantt Chart Schedule
Figure 21: Gantt Chart Schedule

Group Dynamic

Group 2: JR, Patrick, Dinesh, Lauren, Amber
Group 2: JR, Patrick, Dinesh, Lauren, Amber

Brainstorming Lead, Team Leader: Dinesh Ayyappan

Market Research Lead, DFMA Lead: Patrick Hogan

Design Specialist, FMEA Lead: Jonathan Wong

Design Specialist, DFE Lead: Amber Ohiokpehai

Survey Lead, Wiki Lead: Lauren Milisits

During Phase II, our group continued to work effortlessly together. In this phase, Dinesh and Patrick both attended Pittsburgh Critical Mass to take pictures and interview various bike riders for the user study. Patrick also made a trip to Free Ride to find a bike mechanic for our expert interview. During a PHIday team meeting, all members of the team helped to brainstorm survey questions while JR compiled, formatted and created the actual survey to send out via an easily accessible link. Once the survey results were gathered, Lauren compiled and analyzed the free responses, while creating visuals and graphs. All team members brainstormed 10 ideas before the brainstorming class lecture, giving us 50 possible ideas. During the brainstorming session in class, all team members were present and actively participatory in the round-robin session. All members met up again to categorize and vote on possible top ideas before a team meeting with Prof. Michalek. Finally, the majority of the team met for a final brainstorming session. Dinesh took the lead in creating a powerpoint to present to the class during Monday's lecture, and Lauren took the lead to create the majority of the Wiki page, with various team members contributing to sections of their expertise. Dinesh remained the team leader because it provides him with more opportunity for growth in developing his teaching and organizational abilities. Additionally, our group has a well-established and happy dynamic, and although all members would be happy and capable of leading the team, Dinesh enjoys taking detailed notes and sending out emails.

References

"Free Ride Pittsburgh". Free Ride Pittsburgh Home. N,p., n.d. Web. 07 Oct 2012. <http://www.freeridepgh.org/>.

"GanttProject: Free Desktop Project Management Tool." GanttProject: Free Desktop Project Management Tool. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2012. <http://www.ganttproject.biz/>.

"Pittsburgh Critical Mass". Pittsburgh Critical Mass Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2012. <http://www.pghcriticalmass.org/>.

Appendix

Survey Questionnaire

Bike Accessory Question
Question Answers
1

Do you own a bike?

  • Yes
  • No
2

What kind of bike do you use?

  • Mountain bike
  • Road bike
  • Hybrid
  • Cruiser
  • Other
3

How often do you use your bike?

  • Once a month
  • Once a week
  • Once a day
  • Several times a day
4

What do you look for in a bike?

Free response section

5

What do you use your bike for?

  • Transportation
  • Recreation
  • Exercise
  • Competition
  • Other
6

Do you own any third party bike accessories?

  • Yes
  • No
7

If you answered "Yes" to Question 5, what kind?

  • Safety
  • Convenience
  • Aesthetic
  • Storage
  • Maintenance
  • Other
8

If you have adapted/created any accessories for your need, please explain.

Free response section

9

What bike accessories do you think are missing from the market or are currently inadequate?

Free response section

Brainstorming Technique

Our group utilized various brainstorming techniques to come up with 100 ideas. Our first brainstorming technique required that each group member brainstorm 10 original ideas without communicating to the other members of the team. This ensured that no member was influenced by the other teammates and the group could come up with a variety of unique ideas. In doing so, members who had much experience with bikes (Amber and Patrick) were able to brainstorm safety and storage ideas. Dinesh and JR, who still had experience with bikes, brainstormed many possibly useful ideas for adapting preexisting bike accessories and safety functions. Lauren, who has no experience with bikes (but does know how to ride one) brainstormed more creative and unique ideas. With these 50 ideas prepared before the round-robin session during class, the group was able to have a variety of useful and unique ideas already prepared and able to develop more during the class brainstorming session.

The second technique for brainstorming was the round-robin session. In this session, each team member identified one of their original 10 ideas and displayed the idea drawn on a Post-It for all other team members to see. In this way, our group was able to quickly communicate and share the 50 ideas and to start sparking new thoughts. Next, each team member identified a few of their favorite ideas from the original list of 10 and drew them on paper. After five minutes, teammates passed their paper to the right, and for the next five minutes identified possible pros/cons with the new sheet of ideas in front of them and added on to that paper. We passed our papers a third time. This brainstorming technique allowed for us to quickly identify possible questions of feasibility with some of the brainstormed ideas, but also allowed for group members to add on to the original idea.

Finally, our group got together for a third and final brainstorming session and voted on the ideas to identify a few top ideas. After voting on some ideas, each member was able to brainstorm 10 more unique ideas to give a final 100 possible ideas.

100 Brainstorming Ideas

100 Brainstorming Ideas
Safety (24) Convenience (27) Storage (21) Aesthetic (14) Other (14)
  • Wheel Truing Sensor
  • Helmet with Rain Shield
  • Rearview Mirror for Helmet
  • Rearview Mirror for Bike
  • Helmet with Built-In Lights
  • Helmet with Built-In Turn Signals
  • Bike with turn signals attached to seat
  • Turn signals on handlebars
  • Cornering Headlights
  • Robust Horns
  • LED Wheel Spoke Clip
  • LED Frame Lights
  • LED Helmet Light
  • Seat belt
  • Pothole/shock Counter
  • Safety zone protrusions
  • Wheelie Training wheels
  • Front-brake flip limiter
  • Single brake lever
  • Low Center of Gravity weight
  • Mobile tire patch kit
  • Siren
  • Rotational tire-cleaning brush
  • Tire pressure sensor
  • Phone Charger
  • Vibrational GPS System
  • DIY Shoe Clips
  • Electric Gear Readout
  • Kickstand + Lock
  • Front Bag + Backpack/Messenger Bag
  • Portable Radio
  • Waterproof Pannier Cover
  • Seat Hoodie
  • Better Bike Lock
  • Automatic Kickstand
  • Removable Kickstand
  • Camelback-esque Water Bottle and Mouthpiece
  • Cell Phone Basket
  • Water Bottle Holder
  • Helmet + Seat Cover
  • Pre-Installed Lock
  • iPhone Mount (Handlebars)
  • iPhone Mount (Downtube)
  • Integrated Wheel Lock
  • Overhead Cover
  • Small Universal Accessory Mount
  • Clothes Hanging Rack
  • Modular tool kits
  • Modular accessory mount
  • Seat suspension
  • Heated seat
  • Collapsible Storage Bin
  • Reusable Grocery Bag Pannier
  • Collapsible Handle Bars
  • Rotatable Handle Bars
  • Collapsible Wheels
  • Suit rack on frame
  • Suit rack on back
  • Modular storage containers to swap for sizes
  • Attachable storage containers to pile up easily
  • Hooks for holding bags on back
  • Hooks for holding bags in front
  • Inaccessible phone holder
  • Newspaper dispenser
  • Hidden storage pockets
  • Removable briefcase
  • Insulated food container
  • Insulated beer holder
  • Mobile bicycle rack
  • Multi-bike lock
  • Laptop holder
  • Shoe holder
  • Speaker and iPod Dock
  • Wheel Spinners
  • Steering Wheel
  • Colored rims
  • Confetti guns
  • Mounted water guns
  • Carriage-like cover for rain protection/hipster effect
  • Clear-tube frame for bike
  • Decorative seat covers
  • Bike wheel decals
  • Musical spoke percussion
  • Xylophone bell
  • Hydrophobic frame covers
  • Chalk street tracer
  • Inertial Training Wheels
  • Pump/Tool/Lube Kit
  • Telescoping Rain Protection Housing
  • Anti-Theft Alarm
  • Electric Bike Conversion Kit
  • Pedal-powered pellet gun
  • Pedal-powered water gun
  • Tube recycling kit
  • Frame recycling kit
  • Cycling cadence tracker / metronome
  • Intra-frame water storage
  • Mechanical (air pressure) speedometer
  • Airfoil attachments to adjust normal force (like flaps)
  • Windshield
  • Variable seat angle
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