Hi there
Have you found yourself swearing because your bike has fallen over when leaned against your car or a wall? I have and became so exasperated when it once slipped over damaging my car and the bike itself that I decided to invent a gadget to help. I did just that and came up with “The Bikelean”. All the details are at http://www.bikelean.co.uk. This isn’t a sales technique. I’m just looking for advice from the cycling community (before I stick loads of money into something which won’t sell!) as to whether you girls and boys think it could be useful. We have already taken onboard the fast the design needs modifying (the “inner” part of the circle is being removed to enable the bike lean to be attached to all types and sizes of handlebar for both mountain and road bikes) and we also intend to incorporate a tyre lever as opposed to the compass. Please feel free to offer any words of wisdom – negative or positive – in order that we may produce something which could save everyone that sinking feeling, a damaged bike and a big dent in the pocket. Thanks very much, Gary

In all honesty, this ‘problem’ has never crossed my mind before.

I read the home page twice to try and find the subtle joke… but failed.
I think this guy is actually serious 😆

Sorry, but I looked at your site and I still haven’t got a bloody clue what it is or what it does! Am I being dumb?

What? Compass? Seriously?

elastic band +1

lightweight, cheap and if you’re lucky the postman might bring you the odd free one or leave one on your driveway!

You need some pictures of it on the bike on the front page as well as the videos so people can quickly see what it does.

Great idea, I think your all missing the point with that picture of those rubber bands?

Surely the beauty of the bike lean is the fact it has a compass? Im sure many people check the weather before riding their bikes, and the weather reports generally give a windspeed and direction. The compass enables you to lean the bike up in a prime position that isnt directly agains the wind, which means its even less likely to fall over. If you use rubber bands, the chances of the wind blowing your bike over a greatly increased.

Not for me I am afraid. Solution in search of a problem – but it might be attractive to the guys that like all the gadgets

I’ll tell you where I am….

…at my desk.

(Overengineered solution for an almost non-problem)

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOOw2yWMSfk[/video]

Tyre lever instead of compass is a much better idea.

But judging from the responses hear I think you really need to market it as a tyre lever with an extra bit(the bike lean). Not as a bike lean with a tyre lever.

Is there anyway you could add in a 5mm allen key as well ? maybe sell it as multitool which can also be used as a bike lean.

Your having a laugh…….. right?

If not, pull out now and save your money.

Whats wrong with putting the bike on the floor in the first place?

Plenty of wheel stands, BB stands on the market already, and no one uses those, do they?

Bike Lean have a Warehouse and Distribution Centre in Nottinghamshire and an Administration, Sales & Marketing office in Berkshire.

That sounds like a big operation to sell a little plastic gadget that nobody seems to want.

as above – picture of it on the bike so people get an idea of scale.

Compass is a waste of time – make the device smaller and drop it.

Home page is a waste of time – the Olympics and cycle to work might be ‘google freindly’ but they won’t help actually sell the product.

A removable kick-stand/bicycle pump thingy woudl give the same result and avoid the need to lean the bike on a wall?

What? Compass? Seriously?

I agree. To be truely multifunctional. You need to add a bottle opener………..or a cigar lighter. Yes that’s it, a cigar trimmer and lighter. Then I’d buy two*

*maybe

From reading the web page alone I couldnt work out what it was supposed to do.

Then I wondered if it was some form of knucle duster. However 4 things sprung to my mind when I finally understood what it does.

0.5 Sh!t I’ve never worried about this problem, will have to now.
1. Rubber band
2. It doesnt actually stop the car from getting scratched.
3. Whats wrong with the ground.
4. You will never make money unless their are lots of gullable people out there.

oh 5. Whats the compass thing for ?

Its a bit like spending £100’s of pounds for a seat post that drops when you can just undo a leaver that does the same thing.

Add a bottle opener and I’m sure that it will sell very well to hipsters looking for something to hang keys on the beltloops of their sister’s jeans.

Oh, change the name of it to something quirky/genitalia related.

when I’ve leaned my bike up against something, I always find I’m in need of something to get stones out of horses hooves. with a little thought could this be the perfect tool?

I would find it more useful if it incorporated nunchucks. Or a bowstaff. Then you could use it to hunt wolverine when not leaning your bike.

what, nobody’s mentioned the Range Rover Sport yet?

Ok, im interested. Can I have your projected sales for the next 3 years, your manufacturing price and your proposed RRP? How many to date have you actually sold? will you ever actually pay for the website setup from selling these? I seriously doubt it.

Oh and while you’re at it, have you ever heard of velcro straps or reusable zip ties?

Im sorry but it’s just over engineered, bulky, and probably more expensive than a free velcro strap.

I think I need this a little less than Harry Hill needs a comb.

change the name of it to something quirky/genitalia related.

Good idea – call it the MooseKnuckle 🙂

I still can’t get over the idea of a “warehouse and distribution centre in Nottinghamshire”.
Does it look like this ?

I LOVE the “Attempting to knock bicycle over once Bike-Lean is attached” video. It so nearly goes over and scratches the Range Rover Sport (damn!)
http://bikelean.webs.com/videos.htm

And the “Administration, Sales & Marketing office in Berkshire” ?

Is this a student project on a Product Design course ?

Interesting, would I ever use such a thing, no, but I can see there may be a market.

I’d imagine if you could get to a price so it’s almost a novelty sale (say £3ish). If you can get cheaper then perhaps you could find volume as a magazine freebie.

From a design and design for manufacture point of view I doubt you could get down to very low costs to support above. I’d probably look at a much smaller design, composite and that you could rapid prototype initially before moving to tooling a blow/injection/whatever moulding.

HTH

Its a bit like spending £100’s of pounds for a seat post that drops when you can just undo a leaver that does the same thing

Yeah, except in that case you actually have to stop and get off to change the saddle – with a gravity dropper, you don’t.

I reckon I could knock it over.

The photos of the contraption make it look like it’s massive, only looks smaller in the video (in which it looks like the car was most likely scratched).

I think you should design something like a portable bike stand made out of button mushrooms instead

A removable kick-stand/bicycle pump thingy woudl give the same result and avoid the need to lean the bike on a wall?

A pump which doubles as a kick stand would be a cool idea.

Oh dear – FAIL 🙄 Nice try but I am ooooot!

Administration, Sales & Marketing office in Berkshire

I think I know who it is

The nice picture of cyclisters on your home page is reversed.
Do I understand that basically you wedge it round the brake lever and the bars? I don’t quite see how it adapts to working with lots of different manufacturer’s styles of brake lever?
Doesn’t an old toe strap do the same job? (or an elastic band).

Forum Rules:

No Trade or business advertising – except bona fide retailers may respond to genuine enquiries from potential customers.

buzz – yeah but this isnt a business is it 🙂

on a serious note, how does it cope with the fact bikers run different bite points on their brakes due to personal preferance? I run mine so close to the lever that with 2 fingers you can get the lever to touch the grip. Some of my mates run their levers so far out you need to be stretch armstrong to use them. This obviously wouldn’t work for both of us