Commuter Bicycle Design-What Do You Look For

[matthai5]

I'm a Junior industrial design student and am beginning work on a commuter bicycle project. I am now in the research stage and would appreciate any input you could provide. If you have the time please answer the following questions. I have provided two sections, one quick section and one advanced section if you have some time to kill.

Basic Questions:

1.Age(if you don't mind providing):

2.Gender:

3.Location(Not Required)

4.Where do you commute to?

5. How many days a week do you commute?

6.What distance do you travel on a daily basis?

7.Do you live in an city or rural environment?

8.What kind of bike do you commute on?

9. Is storage a problem?

10.Would you benefit from a bicycle that could fold for storage/easy transport?


Advance QuestionsComplete if you have time.

1.What are the strengths and weaknesses of your current commuter.

2.What do you look for in a commuter bicycle?

3.How important is the weight of the bicycle?

4.What size tires do you ride?

5.If commuting on a road bicycle, how often do you ride in the drops.

6.How much would you spend on a bicycle for commuting?
Less than $500 Less than$1000 More than $1000

7. Since bike security is a big concern do you feel that an integrated bike lock would be helpful?

8. Do you prefer a single speed or a multi-geared bike?

9.Do you use bike specific shoes and pedals/cages or flat pedals?

10.Would integrated bike lights be a good addition to a commuter bike?

Thank-You for your time and your input is appreciated.

 

[jheri]

Rather than replying to all of the questions I note that I live in København where bikes are an important way of getting around. More than half of all trips are done by bikes or on foot. Much of this is not the bike, although there are great commuter bikes, but the system that means bikes are safe on the streets. Motorists are usually bike riders themselves or have them in their family and area aware of you. Many paths are separated from traffic. There are places to park your bike wherever you go.

You can find the same throughout Denmark and the Netherlands. Neither country is exactly beautiful weather and I bike in snow and bad weather all of the time.

The bikes tend to be very practical and different from what is seen in the US. No one rides racers or mountain bikes. The standard commuter is a Batavus. They give a good upright riding position, have lots of racks for carrying things, have internal gears and brakes for bad weather and just run without much maintenance.

You can see many of this type of bike in Danish and Dutch bike blogs. You might try Copenhagen Chic for a starter with lots of links.