Cycling invention homework ideas?

Hi all,

Just wondering if I can tap into the hive mind to help with my 13 year old daughters homework….

She needs to come up with a design project for a cycling related invention.

Anybody have any ideas for some cycling invention that could be of use to all of us? Weird and wacky or even just useful?

At the moment we are thinking of some kind of handle bar thing which could change between drop and riser mid ride. (hopefully not at the wrong time…)

Any thoughts or better ideas?

z.

Effective method of attaching a bottle cage to bikes with no space for bottle and cage e.g. orange 5, Lapierre Zesty.
Stem mounted?
Side of frame.?
Seat post-but what about droppers etc?
Would need to be secure, easily accessible on an event, easy to detach, transferable to other bikes

Yes, I know CamelBak sorts this, but some people hate wearing them…

Attachment doodahhs/bags/brackets for bikepacking kit.

I recon something like the time trialist double bottle seatpoat mounted thingies, but sized to take a mytimug and a rolled up self in flating mat, both about the size of a 500ml bottle, but a bit too big for a cage.

What about a smart tyre that changes its tread in response to the trail?

Ooh we’re liking the tyre idea… thinking some kind of chamber inside the tyre that you could pump up to get your knobbly bits sticking out, let the air out the make slicks again…..

Keep them coming!

light, small splitter for chain quicklinks, so you can shove it into your toolkit & carry on the bike – “everyone” has a set of the plier-type things for at home but it’s always much harder when it’s cold, dark & the chain’s filthy. I use a bent bit of coathanger wire but they’re often too bendy and nearly fail to work. could be properly designed with a hinge or something, and sold for a few quid each

indicators for cycles…mounted on headtube perhaps.
or perhaps some kind of electronic audible warning / repeated sounds which can be turned on when going through areas with lots of pedestrians (or along canals) so the sound approaches rather than a bell making someone jump at the last moment…and can then be turned off when the danger areas have passed…

I’ll take one of those chainsplitter things please!

A bicycle bell that announces itself with a polite cough would be good too – I don’t like jarring strollers from their reveries unnecessarily harshly. (here’s hoping my new noisy hub will help with this though)

Telescopic handlebars for when you need to be more gnar!

While we’re at it, telescopic stems too!

An app that warns cyclists not to ride up the inside of trucks and buses

The phone that the rider has receives a warning from a transmitter on the near side of the truck or bus if it comes within a certain range and also warns the truck or bus driver.

Proper full mudguards for carbon bikes with no eyelets.

Indicator “bar” that fastens to the rear – about a foot of outreach either side. Inbetween the orange flashers at the end, a red bar of light to make your bike look wide to drivers (if you’re feeling posh, have a series of lights flashing in sequence running along to the ends of the arms)

Automatic Gearbox for Kids bikes?!

Storage for liquid fuel (i.e. meths, white gas) in frame, for use when camping obviously. There is some guy in the sates that has done this on a custom moots frame.

http://www.goclipless.com/2006/09/mike_curiaks_ul.html

tyre pressure monitor on the stem to warn of punctures or loss from burping. Could be a display or coloured LEDs.

Indicators and brake lights for commuters. Bar end indicators and a rear light that goes bright or flashes when braking.

Reflective anodising, that s a normal colour by day.
Pop out air catcher, for the one day a year the wind is behind.

A new tyre size or reinvent an existing one?

28.5in wheels?

An app that warns cyclists not to ride up the inside of trucks and buses

The phone that the rider has receives a warning from a transmitter on the near side of the truck or bus if it comes within a certain range and also warns the truck or bus driver.someone is working on that, mainly with the idea of letting drivers know they were there. I thought its an ideal bluetooth application but they are aiming for something with their own proprietary transmitter.

I thought its an ideal bluetooth application but they are aiming for something with their own proprietary transmitter.

I hate it when companies do thing like this. It destins a potential good product to flop because it is overly proprietary.

Energy storage system as on F1 cars ?

More simple: hi-viz bikes I think some new hi-viz clothes are covered in tiny glass beads that reflect light, transfer this to a bike.

I hate it when companies do thing like this

. That was my view as well as most folks are happy to cough up a few quid for an app but would baulk at the cost of another bit of hardware to stick on their bike. I wonder how difficult it is to do? gets distracted into looking up bluetooth specs…

I wonder how difficult it is to do? gets distracted into looking up bluetooth specs

Not very you can get bluetooth chips that communicate over SPI or I2C to just about an small microcontroller. Very cheap. Each HGV has this with a UID with a format that the APP recognises as a HGV. The only problem might be in busy area too many warnings from non applicable HGV that are in another lane, on the other side of the road e.t.c. It would require very accurate GPS on phone and HGV to differentiate.

A child’s bike where the frame size can be adjusted so it can grow with the child.

I like the tyre one, that’s one I’ve often thought about.

A stealthy location on a frame to store Powerlinks would be ideal, if only because I never remember to bring them with me when on a quick ride out from the house

Flywheel energy storage?

Something that can detect when I’m looking at my front wheel instead of the trail ahead. It will have an audible warning along the lines of ‘look-up, you idiot’
Maybe a digital clinometer on the bike and your helmet/sunglasses and relative angles sort of thing.

A bicycle pump that doesn’t get caught in your trouser leg.

A bicycle pump that doesn’t get caught in your trouser leg.

And some method of lashing boiled eggs to your handle bars!

something to scrape dog turds off the wheels,

a bike pump that fits into the down tube,

something to fit a machine gun on to that fires paint pellets at errant motorists,

an lcd screen that displays a smiley face or a sad face to overtaking motorists, along with a rear speed sensor display, to display ovetraking motorists speed.

a bull shit meter when you meet an anoying bullshitter on a ride, who wants to tell you all about bloody strava

This is great stuff guys, much appreciated!

I guess Little Miss Zukemonster will have to get shortlisting tomorrow! I’ll keep you posted. She is most impressed by the STW collective though.

thanks

Z.

What about a cycle magazine forum where little about bikes is talked about, but the most personnel things in peoples lives are, and sensible answers given sometimes.

NAH, that wouldnt work.

A small cable lock that uses the bottle cage bolts, leaving enough room for a bottle cage still. Similar sort of lock like this

http://www.sailandski.co.uk/acatalog/Burton-Cable-Snowboard-Lock-2015—clear-25125.html?gclid=COPDwa-l88ACFSoEwwodaR8A5A#.VB9IVBJAphg

Handy for when quickly popping inside somewhere and also could be used to lock a helmet to a bike.

Lightweight emergency chain tensioner for when you tear a mech off 10 miles from the car and need to singlespeed it home.

Some kind of forcefield/radio transmitter so when cars get too close their speakers play “Warning, Cyclist, Keep your distance!”

Polite advance warning bell that doesn’t alarm pedestrians too much and has good directional source. Includes a button with a loud noise for drivers. (I love japanese reverse and machinery alarms. Persistant but nice.)

Indicator bar sounds good to me, linked up to the brakes too so that people can tell your stopping. I think it’s already been done but something to project a 1m bike lane to your right onto the road would be cool.

A proper tool roll with mud sleeve that will store tools under the saddle, dropper compatible. Also allow mounting under top tube etc.

On the fly wheel size adjustment.

Some kind of wheel cleaner for a quick clean before the mud and stuff flings off all over you and your mates. Maybe with a small high pressure jet of water that can be mounted on the fork crown and rear seat stay brace