Best Bike

This unit was about wheels, gears, and bikes. We learned how to calculate the circumference of a circle, how to calculate gear ratios, we learned about axles, we learned to graph circles, and we learned about the different parts of a bike. I’m proud of the graphing I did, because I haven’t graphed in a long time and I never learned to graph circles and which I learned quite quickly. The purpose of this assignment is to get us thinking about speed and user-friendliness. To do this, each group in class got a persona with specific needs, and we were asked to design a bike for them. With our new background knowledge that we got from professionals and basic bike users, we were able to design the perfect bike for each of our personas.

AG: Bike Sketch (2014)

From the research we did on existing bikes, one of the things I learned was that bikes with thicker tires will be able to withstand more damage (potholes, snow, rocks) than bikes with thinner tires. A bike with thinner tires can go faster on paved road whereas thicker tires will slow the rider down. Also that wider handlebars allow for more controlled steering because it gives you more leverage.

One quote that helped me with designing the new bike, was said by my friend RW: “Different handlebars, I would prefer bull-horn handlebars, so I could position myself differently while riding.” It helped me when designing because he gave me the idea to add bull-horn handle bars since our persona had the same issue.

The persona my partner and I got was Peter, who needs to ride 12 miles from Hyde Park to school. His legs get tired along with his arms, when they are in the same position for too long, not to mention his back hurts. He needs a secure bike because his last bike was stolen outside of school. He also needs a comfortable bike to make the 12 mile ride easier.

Our new bike that we made for Peter has many great features. It has a special seat, a space for a backpack, or other cargo, with a hook and something to buckle it down, a handlebar with different positions to hold, locks and GPS locators on the separate parts, and an electric engine.

• The shape of the bike allows the user to sit down and comfortably pedal. 
• The handlebar also rotates so there are very many holding options. 
• The GPS chips in the parts of the bike ensure that if the parts were somehow stolen, which is already unlikely due to the locks on the separate parts, that you could find them. 

The bike solves our user’s problems by providing him with comfort. His back problems are solved with the new seat, his arm tiredness get solved by being able to switch his arm position, and his leg tiredness is solved with the addition of an engine. The bike also resolves any security issues. The locks on the bike parts make the parts safe from being stolen, and if they are somehow stolen the GPS chips in them make sure they can be found again.

AG: Bike Labeled (2014)

The user should trust in our design because it is the safest, most comfortable option. Without our additions, bikes are more difficult to use and maintain. This bike solves so many problems that not only our user has, but many other people have as well, so instead of grinning and bearing it, now there’s a solution.

Peter lives 12 miles from school. With our bike it will take him about 36 minutes to get there with an average speed of 20 mph. His new wheel’s diameter is 26 inches and its circumference is 26 pi which is about 81.68 inches. The wheel will rotate 9,308.5 times on his journey. The scale we used for our model was 13 inches, so 1 inch on the model is 13 inches in real life. For example, the wheels on our model have a diameter of 2 inches and the actual wheel's diameter is 26 inches.

We took into consideration all of Peter’s different issues as well as the distance he must ride each day. Some of the obstacles were that he has to put his backpack somewhere while riding, he can’t wear it because of his back problems and because of the seat design. We solved this by adding a space for it behind his seat; he could strap the shoulder straps onto the seat, set it on the rack, hook it to the hook, and strap and buckle it in. Another problem was that his legs get tired, but it’s a bike so he still has to pedal. Our solution to this was adding the engine. This makes riding much easier and more effortless. Much less force is required, as the engine does most of the work for him so his legs don’t have to. The bike runs on a cordless lithium battery that is good for over a thousand charges. The battery will last up to 25 hours before needing to be recharged.

AG: Bike Model II (2014)

AG: Bike Model (2014)

AG: Bike With Terrain (2014)