A level Market Research - Please help

mtbhenry888

Hi, I'm going into my final a level year next year but i start my project this year! I'm designing and making the frame and a frame jig for a 26"or 700c wheeled commuting/city bike. It will be made of steel, probably brazed. I need to conduct some market research for my folder and this involves a questionnaire of sorts. I would be very grateful if people could give me a few points of what they would like in a bomb proof city/touring bike and also what sort of braze ons and options would be good to include.

Drop, flat or riserbars?
Rack, bottle and gaurd mounts will be on anyway but anyhing else? (dynamo, pump lugs etc)
what type of brakes, disc or canti or V?
26" or 700c wheels?
135mm, or 130mm spacing on the rear?
internal cable routing?

one design feature I have come up with is it will have a variaiton on on ones sliding dropouts like on the inbred, horizotal track ends but with a mech hanger so in theory it could be s/s, geared or hub geared. is this needed, do people want this sort of versatility?

As i said earlier, any help, suggestions would be excellent, thanks!

2tired2ride

I'm at college as well but my D.T project is not as cool as yours.

1.Flat bars.
2.Rack, bottle and gaurd mounts are fine.
3.what type of brakes, disc or canti or V? - Disc (but not mechcinical) or Vs.
4.26" or 700c wheels? - 700c, they roll/feel a lot better.
5.135mm, or 130mm spacing on the rear? - 135mm.
6.internal cable routing? - not for a steel frame.

Hope this helps.

Because it is going to be steel I would personally do something a bit like the Charge bikes(old skool geometry)





.....but thats me, so keep us updated pics and definatly show the final thing next year and good luck

TheHatter

Drop, flat or riserbars?
For me drops
Rack, bottle and gaurd mounts will be on anyway but anyhing else? (dynamo, pump lugs etc)
thats all i'd want/need
what type of brakes, disc or canti or V?
canti (or v)
26" or 700c wheels?
26 just cos it would make it smaller when folded
135mm, or 130mm spacing on the rear?
130
internal cable routing?
no

good luck with the project

ps have you thought of using surveymonkey?

whyamihere

1. Drop, flat or riserbars? - Drops every time for me.
2. Rack, bottle and gaurd mounts will be on anyway but anyhing else? (dynamo, pump lugs etc) - Pump lugs are a very nice touch on a commuter bike. Not sure there's much point in dynamos any more with rechargeable lights so good.
3. what type of brakes, disc or canti or V? - Why not have mountings for both?
4. 26" or 700c wheels? - 700c.
5. 135mm, or 130mm spacing on the rear? - 135 for discs, 130 otherwise.
6. internal cable routing? - Good lord no.

I have an idea, but it might be a bit too difficult to implement for an A-level project... Some bikes (mostly MTBs) have fully replaceable dropouts. This means that by changing what's bolted on, you can have a disc frame with gears, a fixie, a racer, 130mm or 135 depending on your mood that day...

always_tyred

mtbhenry888 wrote:

Drop, flat or riserbars? DROP (narrower)
Rack, bottle and gaurd mounts will be on anyway but anyhing else? (dynamo, pump lugs etc) RACK, BOTTLE, GUARD
what type of brakes, disc or canti or V?
26" or 700c wheels? DISC (the rims will last longest)
135mm, or 130mm spacing on the rear? 135mm - (you can put in spacers, but you can't really get the chain line right if you spread a set of forks)
internal cable routing? NO - NOT EASILY REPLACED

one design feature I have come up with is it will have a variaiton on on ones sliding dropouts like on the inbred, horizotal track ends but with a mech hanger so in theory it could be s/s, geared or hub geared. is this needed, do people want this sort of versatility? YES, GOOD IDEA

One idea - think of a surface treatment other than paint. Commuter bikes get crammed on trains (not in London, obviously) and squeezed into racks.
Another - have a ponder about isolating the rider from the road surface. Roads are as smooth as bridle paths these days.

Have fun!

Jay dubbleU

As a regular commuter who uses the same bike for weekend treks I would say:

1. Risers
2. No point in pump lugs - keep it in your bag otherwise someone will nick it - front and rear rack lugs- quick release wheels
3. Discs every time for me - saves wear on rims over long distances, more efficient, don't have to worry about muddy rims
4. 26" wheels - more stable and stronger for bumping up and down kerbs, dodgy tracks when touring
5. 135mm
6. Internal cable routing - no too hard to access in emergency KISS

SS/hub gear option would be good

mtbhenry888

thanks for the replies, don't know what i was thinking with internal cable routing on a steel frame! The finish will probably be powder coat because of the difficulty of getting a decent paint finish when not in a booth.

it's good to open it up for you guys to help me as it makes me think about stuff i may have overlooked, i still have to find a supplier of decent steel for the frame :oops:

2tired2ride

TheHatter wrote:

26" or 700c wheels?
26 just cos it would make it smaller when folded

I think he ment his work folder/portfolio.

I don't think he's trying to make a foldng bike.

laughingboy

mtbhenry888 wrote:

i still have to find a supplier of decent steel for the frame :oops:

How about:
Ceeway?

mtbhenry888

I think he ment his work folder/portfolio.

I don't think he's trying to make a foldng bike.

yeah i meant folder as in work folder not a folding bike, sorry didn't make that clear!

also thanks for the tubing supplier recommendation laughingboy!

BUICK

I'm interested to know why everyone has been against internal cable routing on a steel frame (specifically)? Surely, if it's a bad idea on a steel frame it's a bad idea on any material frame?

I have a steel frame racer with internal routing so if I've done something idiotic I'd like to know

whyamihere

It's not a problem with steel. The only problem is that they're so awkward to sort out. Hateful things.

TheHatter

mtbhenry888 wrote:

I think he ment his work folder/portfolio.

I don't think he's trying to make a foldng bike.

yeah i meant folder as in work folder not a folding bike, sorry didn't make that clear!

also thanks for the tubing supplier recommendation laughingboy!

yes sorry I read your post too quick :oops:

One thing I would add is that the verstility you mentioned is key. if its first use is commuting then a fair few customers will be living in cities which often means a home lack of storage space. Therefore a commuter that can also double as a tourer or sportive machine would be attractive.

Phil92

That is one hell of a project. I'm afraid I'm not that useful to you in terms of market research (I'm an epic nub) but I will wish you good luck! Post your results too!

MichaelW

If you look at todays review of the Kona Sutra you will see an issue with standard disc brake placement and standard luggage racks. They both want to occupy the same place on the bike. The usual solution is to bend the rack around the brake. A better solution is to relocate the brake on the chainstay (As done by Scott, Merida, Waterford).
Dynamo hubs are the bees bollox but it would be nice to have some neat solution for running the cable up the fork, same for disc brake cable.
Dros vs Flats depends on the shifter style. Most hub gears demand flats although there are a few new shifter designs emerging for drops.
There are plenty of hybrid-style derailleur bikes but very few really well though-out hub-hear designs.

janm399

Drop, flat or riserbars?
>> Drops
Rack, bottle and gaurd mounts will be on anyway but anyhing else? (dynamo, pump lugs etc)
>> None of those
what type of brakes, disc or canti or V?
>> Cantilever
26" or 700c wheels?
>> 700c
135mm, or 130mm spacing on the rear?
>> 135
internal cable routing?
>> sadly no

singlespeedexplosif

Drop, flat or riserbars?
drops
Rack, bottle and gaurd mounts will be on anyway but anyhing else? (dynamo, pump lugs etc)
rack and bottle perhaps.
what type of brakes, disc or canti or V?
caliper
26" or 700c wheels?
700
135mm, or 130mm spacing on the rear?
135
internal cable routing?
no

sliding dropouts a good idea.

tardington

Are you going to make the bars? You should do the flats with the integral bar ends - some people have road brakes on them?