University - Brompton Concept

[USAMD2709]

Imagine you're running late for work in the morning, you commute by cycling in the city, and you walk in to your utility room to find your Brompton has a slow puncture, to drive or get a cab would mean serious lateness due to the congestion during rush hours, and to walk to the tube is a 25 min walk, and a tube ride. what do you do?

I am currently a second year student studying 'product design' at the university of Brighton UK, and for my year project i have been set a brief to design and produce a product which will fall under the Brompton label. I have done some research into Brompton and its target market, markets it could appeal too, its products and possibilities for the future.
I have come up with a concept which is essentially an interchangeable Brompton wheel, the rim detaching from the internal hub allowing the owner to quickly replace a puncture rim with a new, change to snow/rough terrain/slick/wet road tyres, or customize your Brompton further.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/usamd2709/ ... hotostream ...Image
the model is a little crude but it explains the rotate and remove concept of inter change-able rims

I have aimed the product at a road/race market and appearance to attract a target market, mainly men who want a bit more macho from their Brompton, who miss their agile, quick road bikes on the daily Brompton commute, and want a bit more 'boom' in their Brompton. However i feel the practicality and function can be applied to a more conventional wheel.

the question i pose to you forum members is would the product sit well in the Brompton label, or would it be too unconventional to the seemingly conservative Brompton owners?

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

Nice looking wheel!

I am not sure how your design is specific to Bromptons or why it is particularly beneficial for Bromptons. The common criticism regarding difficulties of puncture repair roadside for a Brompton is associated with the need to remove chain tensioner, axle nuts (no quick release) etc. for its rear, hub-geared wheel in order to remove the wheel before tyre/tube can be easily repaired/replaced. I am unsure how your replaceable rim can circumvent any of that - doesn't the rear wheel still have to be removed or else the rear rim is trapped within the rear triangle?

Once any wheel is removed, tube replacement takes only a couple of minutes. A spare tube weighs 150g or so, costs ~£3, and is compact and can be easily stowed away even including a pump. OTOH I am unsure about the ready availability of a spare rim with tube and tyre in practice in your emergency scenario.

Finally you might be interested to know that component lightness is particularly desirable for folding bikes. I suspect weight could be a challenge for your design, and I am unsure how your tri-spoke, while smart looking, can be integrated with any off-the-shelf hub not to mention internal geared hubs.

Hope it helps, and best of luck to your research!

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

Imagine you're running late for work in the morning, you commute by cycling in the city, and you walk in to your utility room to find your Brompton has a slow puncture, to drive or get a cab would mean serious lateness due to the congestion during rush hours, and to walk to the tube is a 25 min walk, and a tube ride. what do you do?

Take another bike or ultimately be late, the word does not stop spinning, if you are late. Ultimately at times you genuinely need to accept shoot happens.

I have aimed the product at a road/race market and appearance to attract a target market, mainly men who want a bit more macho from their Brompton, who miss their agile, quick road bikes on the daily Brompton commute, and want a bit more 'boom' in their Brompton. However i feel the practicality and function can be applied to a more conventional wheel.

Interesting concept but if you think I'm going to buy another wheel on the off chance that I'm going to have time constraints to fix a puncture you are mistaken. If I have enough time to fix the puncture I will do, If I do not have time I will deal with it as the situations dictate and fix the puncture at a later date. Equally this device offers no use what so ever if I get a puncture out on the road.

Unless made out of high grade carbon, the wheel will be heavy which creates further issues at times when you need to physically carry the brompton.

Not for me

 

[musa]

With your design did you think about practicality?

 

[Fab Foodie]

Here's an idea:

1. Ask Brommie owners questions about the pro's and cons of Brommie ownership over other folders vand standard bikes -maybe call it a market or user survey.
2. Identify common problems that people have and how/if they solve them?
3. Ask whether a better solution has any value to users?
4. Sketch-out some ideas and see what value they have to users
5. Develop quick and dirty technical solution and estimate commercial viability.
6. Feedback concept to a selected user group.
7. Does the concept meet their needs and are they willing to pay?
8. If yes, move to prototyping, if no, return to 4.

 

[ufkacbln]

Try "BromptonTalk" on Yahoo Groups for an active Brompton rich environment
Personally the only advance in repair was that approach used by Mike Burows on the Amsterdam and Giant Halfway, or Mark Sanders on the Strida, a cantilever approach where there is no need to remove the wheel to change the tyre, tube etc.

 

[Brommyboy]

Replacing the tube in the rear wheel of the Brompton takes me at least 18 minutes: if heading for a train, I allow time for a mishap, but do carry a spray-in puncture repair aerosol for an emergency, which I have not had recourse to use yet.

 

[USAMD2709]

Thanks for the constructive crit guys, it is a tough brief, so I am trying to gather some insight from these forums. The idea I proposed was just an idea, I'm not going to produce it tomorrow or force it into the market so let me change the angle at which I approached this thread.
What would you Brompton users like to see in the next Brompton catalogue?

 

[dellzeqq]

Imagine you're running late for work in the morning, you commute by cycling in the city, and you walk in to your utility room to find your Brompton has a slow puncture, to drive or get a cab would mean serious lateness due to the congestion during rush hours, and to walk to the tube is a 25 min walk, and a tube ride. what do you do?

fold the sucker up and get in a cab. Use the time in the cab to phone ahead. And I'd not even think about fixing the puncture and then going to work hot and flustered.

Then again, this is hypothetical. Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres mean I've had one puncture in four years.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Thanks for the constructive crit guys, it is a tough brief, so I am trying to gather some insight from these forums. The idea I proposed was just an idea, I'm not going to produce it tomorrow or force it into the market so let me change the angle at which I approached this thread.
What would you Brompton users like to see in the next Brompton catalogue?

hinge clamps that don't rotate when you unscrew the hinge bolts.
a 'ruler' marked on the seatpost.

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

What would you Brompton users like to see in the next Brompton catalogue?

A bike I would like to own

 

[Brommyboy]

GregCollins asked

hinge clamps that don't rotate when you unscrew the hinge bolts.
a 'ruler' marked on the seatpost.

A to B 88 (Feb 2012) has a reader's method of modifying the clamps for this.

 

[CopperBrompton]

The whole point of a Brompton is that you have a bike when you want one and a very compact piece of luggage when you don't. Nobody is going to carry a spare rim.

I've had two punctures on my Brommie. In one case, the slime spray I carry got me to my destination (which, conveniently, had a bicycle shop beneath it, so they swapped the tube while I had my meeting). In the second case, the hole was too large for the slime to work, so I hopped on the tube.

What improvements do I want?

First, I'd echo Greg's comment about non-rotating clamps: this is a very minor irritation, but one experienced every time you fold it. That would be a pretty interesting engineering challenge, I think

A method of allowing you to raise the seat to push the folded bike along without risking it coming unfolded (but you have to do this without an extra step in the folding/unfolding process, so maybe something you have to flick on when needed).

A decent front light that can remain on the handlebars when folding.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

The non rotating clamp I would suggest is easy to fix.

A non round sheath integral to the clamp, over the screw thread and a commensurate bore in the frame, running into a standard round threaded hole. This is pushed out by a collar on the round thread part and in by the standard black plastic handle.

Or a couple of guide bars as part of the clamp that locates into holes in the frame. they'd both have to be on the fixed side on the frame/clamp combo to allow the moveable element to move without impediment and negate the non spinny imperative.

In each instance, the clamp lip would be shorter and thus disengage first.

 

[Night Train]

Thanks for the constructive crit guys, it is a tough brief, so I am trying to gather some insight from these forums. The idea I proposed was just an idea, I'm not going to produce it tomorrow or force it into the market so let me change the angle at which I approached this thread.
What would you Brompton users like to see in the next Brompton catalogue?

I make all of my own improvements and accessories to my Brompton and will happily market them myself where I can.

However, I would like to have a factory 8 speed hub geared Brompton that takes standard components and weighs no more then the standard 3 speed model and be as compact folded.
A factory two speed cable shift chain ring would be good also, to double up the hub gears.