Bikes!

For unit 2 of Design & Engineering, we learned about the mechanics of bikes and the physics behind using a bike. We went on a Field Experience to Earth Riders in Wicker Park where we learned about the different types of bikes from standard pedal bikes to e-bikes. The purpose of this assignment is to understand how to formulate a unique product to match a person’s needs. Things that I have learned from researching existing bikes is that there are consistently many innovations being made to make them more ergonomic and many standard bikes lack accommodates like a basket. During my external investigation, while I was interviewing my dad who is a bike user, he said,“I feel free. I feel fresh air. Sometimes I feel like I’m on vacation.” This helped me guide my design because the user I got had worries about using a bike, so  I wanted to make it as comfortable as possible for the user so they can get some sort of relief during the bike ride.

My user is Clover who is an 11 year old from Australia. Their biggest worry is safety because drivers in Sydney are not the most aware of bikes. Also they do not trust locking their bike up so they want to be able to carry their bike with them atall times. My new bike design includes a reflective bike frame, bigger wheels, and curved handle bars. These are better innovations because the reflective bike makes the bike more visible especially when headlights shine on them. Curved handle bars make it easier to adjust the posture on the bike to make it easier to go up hills. Thicker wheels will make the bike more durable on rougher terrain. Also the bike is more lightweight with aluminum so Clover can carry the bike with straining themselves. During the design process I thought it would be better to have a bike with multiple gears to aid with going up hills and make for an easier ride. An ideal gear ratio may be having a gear ratio of 44/32/20. So to have a gear ratio where the gear in the front has 44 teeth and the middle one has 32 teeth and the back one has 20 teeth.

Other considerations I kept in mind that there are hills in Sydney which is hard to keep in mind when you don’t live in a place with a bunch of hills. Another thing I kept in mind is my own personal worries when I used to ride my bike

Overall I thought the project was interesting way to reflect on the past unit. I preferred having a specific persona rather than just having a target audience. At first I struggles with coming up with ideas for bikes until I got my persona, which opened the floor up for some more discussion.