Measurements and Prototype Fine-Tuning- 10/31

October 31, 2013

Deliverable: Experimentation and Sketch Models

Today we measured bikes around campus. We measured the distance from the ground to the bottom of the hub, the distance from the ground to the bracket, and the width between brackets.

The average distance from the bottom of the hub to the ground was 12.72 inches (shortest = 11.5, tallest = 14.5)

The average distance from the bottom of the bracket to the ground was 12.75 (shortest = 11.5, tallest = 15)

The average width between brackets was 5.9 inches. (narrowest = 5, widest = 9)

Last class we had the idea to use overlapping metal plates instead of the shower rod design (one cylinder within another). The metal plates would simplify the production process, since you wouldn't have to worry about getting the cylinders exactly the right sizes to fit one inside the other. With the metal plates, like the cylinders, you would line the holes up and stick a pin through the corresponding holes at the correct width you wanted.

From the measurements we took today we think our ideal width would be 10 inches, and we would want to condense it down to 5 inches. We want the bike stand to be at least 16 inches tall, since our highest bike bracket was 15 inches.

Conversation with community partner:

Lyndsey, our community partner in Nicaragua, said that the good parts of the bike stand are it is strong and easy to use. The bad things are is the bike stand is heavy and bulky to transport. Furthermore, some of the younger members of the group can't lift the bike up and mount it on the stand by themselves. She suggests that we consider another material, and make the stand easier to fold.

New brainstorm: 

We're thinking about a design where instead of lifting the bike up, you roll it up on a ramp. We also need to prioritize the ability to fold, since Lyndsey mentioned that necessity several times.

Next class:
-Research what bike sizes are prevalent in the US and abroad (particularly in Nica, if we can find the data)
-Build a prototype of our sliding-plate
-Consider ways to reduce the weight and bulkiness, perhaps by decreasing the material used