design project

Since 2001, over 90,000 cyclist's have joined Cycling Forums to discuss topics from general cycling to equipment, training, racing and travel or vacation destinations (especially in europe during the tour de france). We also feature an great deals in our online store, 100's of articles, classifieds and product reviews.

Hi, my name's Greg & I'm a final year student at Northumbria University in the UK. For my final design project I am designing a future trike and to help me with my design I have been researching problems with current cycles and how they are used.

If anybody finds problems with any aspect of cycling, general dislikes about bikes, or areas you think can be improved with bikes I would be really gratefull if you could let me know by replying to this thread.

Your input is really appreciated. Greg:)

Well, more power to you but I don't think you will get anywhere by trying to solve the problems of current bikes. The 1886 Safety Bicycle is not too dissimilar from what we ride today. The only improvements which are likely to take place after so many people have given it so much thought are small, incremental changes which require a great deal of fairly arcane knowledge. For example, I love the ramps on my rear cassette's cogs which allow me to shift while pedaling uphill and I used to wish for such a thing back in the 1980s but it took bicycle engineers with a lot of experience to work such a thing out.

Trikes are nice, since they have low-speed stability, even for novice riders. Recumbents are nice for folks who have trouble finding a comfortable saddle or riding setup, but they ride low to the ground and are less visible to drivers. A tall flag of some sort can help...

I'm a little more hopeful than GT that you have a viable project here, but my guess is that the more you concentrate on a specific user population, the more likely you'll come to a sufficiently rich understanding of their needs and preferences that you can design an appropriate solution. One thing that has changed a lot over the years is the emergence of special-purpose bicycles and parts...different styles of frame, brakes, wheels, etc. for different kinds of riding and budget.

Take a look at the Strida folding bike for an example of some more recent realizations of not-so-new ideas.