Product Development - Project help

GlennB612 · November 2014

Hey everyone. I am a Product Design student at De Montfort University in Leicester and keen mountain bike rider!. I am currently working on a sport brief and have chosen to develop a project to aid performance. Finally designing for something I enjoy, and can get my teeth into!.

I have found most riders, myself included choose a 'jack of all trades' tyre pressure when riding as it is an effort to constantly jump off to change, and also no one wants to be 'that guy' who holds the group up. This is a compromise on performance.

I propose a system in which tyre pressure can be remotely adjusted from the handlebars while riding. This will consist of a high pressure chamber that is fed in through the spokes around the wheel and joint at either end with an electronic component that will also connect to the valve. This will act as a two way valve and will be wirelessly linked with the handlebar apparatus.

(Attached is a rough mock up with tubing as to the location of the chamber)

- To work out the volume of the chamber I need to know how many times the tyre pressure is likely to be changed during a ride. Can anyone help with this?
-Also am I right in assuming tyre pressure ranges from around 15psi to 35/40psi?
-Although the tubing have been modelled on my uni beater the system is to be designed more for All-mountain and downhill.

It would be really beneficial to my project if I could get some feedback (the good and the bad, don’t hold back!)
Hope this has been posted in the right forum and I look forward to hearing your ideas.

questions?

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CitizenLee · November 2014

Have a look at this:

http://www.gizmag.com/adaptrac-mountain ... ure/22190/
http://adaptrac.com/

GlennB612 · November 2014

Hey, I am already aware of the Adaptrac system. Brilliant system and I was gutted when I first came across it in my research. Talking to my lecturer and he said to stick with the concept but go at it from a differnt angle. one problem with the Adaptrac system is you need custom hubs which will mean wheels will have to be rebuilt to use the system? I plan to design a system that attaches to the wheel without rebuilding.

thanks for sharing though.

rockmonkeysc · November 2014

Not sure it's really a problem that needs solving. By fixing one thing that 99% of riders don't see as a problem, you are adding weight. The worst possible place to add weight to any bicycle is the wheels.

peter413 · November 2014

In my opinion it's a silly idea. I don't change my tyre pressures because the pressure they are at is the right pressure for all of my riding. If I have any less pressure the tyre becomes too squirmy and offers less grip in high speed corners. Likewise if I have any more pressure the tyre looses grip because it can't deform to the terrain. The only time I can see this being even remotely useful is on a ride the includes both road and off road sections. But given that I run tubeless and the max recommended pressure on my rims is 40 psi I couldn't even use it for that as I already have 40 psi in the rear tyre.

Another problem problem I can see with the system is how accurate it would be. A change of even 5 psi in a tyre changes how it rides massively. For example I run my front Specialized Butcher Control at 30 psi and it performs excellently like this. If however the pressure is dropped to 25 psi the bike becomes almost unrideable on any fast corners that require the tyre to be supported, it just folds over and the tyre has no grip.

Also I can see any marginal gains from the system being outweighed by the added weight of the system itself.

That's all my opinion and does not mean that some other person might not be interested.

nicklouse · November 2014

cant see the point.

what might be useful is a warning system that will let the rider know if they have a slow puncture.

a slow puncture in itself is not an issue but as pressure drop a total failure is more and more likely to happen.

cost saving and safety in one.

Ferrals · November 2014

I I were a dragon, I'd say: I'm out.

jimothy78 · November 2014

Even if there was a market for such a thing (which i seriously doubt), I don't understand the concept; Even if you have a 2-way valve connecting the reservoir to the tube, air is only going to be able to flow one way - from the reservoir into the tyre. You can't get air from the low-pressure side to the high-pressure side without some sort of pump.

Ferrals · November 2014

As a product design student do you not have to do some sort of market research? If I were you I would take this as market research, shelve that idea and have a look at the thread on linked hydraulic brakes. Designing a one handed braking system that would work well, give you sensitivity and if possible allow you to activate front and rear brakes separately would be a great project with a real niche market and might benefit people like the op in that thread

cooldad · November 2014

A sensible idea on BR. I'm shocked and stunned. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Angus Young · November 2014

Ferrals wrote:

As a product design student do you not have to do some sort of market research? If I were you I would take this as market research, shelve that idea and have a look at the thread on linked hydraulic brakes. Designing a one handed braking system that would work well, give you sensitivity and if possible allow you to activate front and rear brakes separately would be a great project with a real niche market and might benefit people like the op in that thread

That, Sir, is a superb idea.

rockmonkeysc · November 2014

cooldad wrote:

A sensible idea on BR. I'm shocked and stunned. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

It will never happen again.

ilovedirt · November 2014

Angus Young wrote:

Ferrals wrote:

As a product design student do you not have to do some sort of market research? If I were you I would take this as market research, shelve that idea and have a look at the thread on linked hydraulic brakes. Designing a one handed braking system that would work well, give you sensitivity and if possible allow you to activate front and rear brakes separately would be a great project with a real niche market and might benefit people like the op in that thread

That, Sir, is a superb idea.

Am I missing something? I don't see it...

rockmonkeysc · November 2014

ilovedirt wrote:

Angus Young wrote:

Ferrals wrote:

As a product design student do you not have to do some sort of market research? If I were you I would take this as market research, shelve that idea and have a look at the thread on linked hydraulic brakes. Designing a one handed braking system that would work well, give you sensitivity and if possible allow you to activate front and rear brakes separately would be a great project with a real niche market and might benefit people like the op in that thread

That, Sir, is a superb idea.

Am I missing something? I don't see it...

Yes, I believe you are

ilovedirt · November 2014

Ah okay, I missed the other thread. I'm pretty sure you can already just buy a remote master cylinder and run the two calipers off one lever. Not quite a complete package, but then the market is so small that it wouldn't be worth anyone's time catering for it, unless they were charging mega bucks for them.

Product Development - Project help

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