The Gro Bro
Over the last couple of months I have been taking a class called Design and Engineering. This class goes through the intricacy and general process of creating something. This unit is called Farther, where we looked at and researched bikes, how they go and different types of improvements. My class was able to journey to a bike shop in Chicago and learn from a bike retailer her experience with biking and some different types of bikes. We even got to ride electric bikes and learn more about how they work. I was able to interview a biker and get a better understanding of their experience. My interviewee explained an issue he had when riding was they he "didn't have enough storage space", so this was something I decided I would want to include on my future bike design.
For this action project, I was asked to create a bike that can appeal to a specific persona and help overcome some of their everyday challenges. The user of my bike is an eleven year old who lives in Australia named Clove. Clove needs a bike that can be easily ridden on hills, resistant to flat tires, safely ridden on roads next to cars. Clove also wants a bike that could possibly be carried around with them so that it is less likely to get stolen. Their commute is about 2 miles going at an average speed of 3.5 meters per second, or 7.85 miles per hour.
My partner and I came up with a bike called the GRO - BRO. This bike has easily visible colors along with LED lights, the ability to compact, tubeless tires, low gears, a front basket for storage, and an American flag.
Through this process, I learned that tubeless tires exist and are a good alternative to regular tire because they are puncture resistant.
I also learned that carbon fiber is a lightweight material and can be used to make bikes lighter.
Below is an image of the first rough design of the bike.
For this action project, I was asked to create a bike that can appeal to a specific persona and help overcome some of their everyday challenges. The user of my bike is an eleven year old who lives in Australia named Clove. Clove needs a bike that can be easily ridden on hills, resistant to flat tires, safely ridden on roads next to cars. Clove also wants a bike that could possibly be carried around with them so that it is less likely to get stolen. Their commute is about 2 miles going at an average speed of 3.5 meters per second, or 7.85 miles per hour.
My partner and I came up with a bike called the GRO - BRO. This bike has easily visible colors along with LED lights, the ability to compact, tubeless tires, low gears, a front basket for storage, and an American flag.
Through this process, I learned that tubeless tires exist and are a good alternative to regular tire because they are puncture resistant.
I also learned that carbon fiber is a lightweight material and can be used to make bikes lighter.
The number of wheel rotations for Clove to make it to their school is about 1,552.
The cog size and gear ratio that would best suit Clove bike, estimating that they and their bike weigh about 45.1 kg is 34/32.
Below is an image of the first rough design of the bike.
(GRO-BRO bike sketch, DC, 2021)
Below is a 3D scale model of our bike.
This slideshow shows an image of the bike on a graph to explain some of the calculations.
Overall, I really enjoyed this class and this action project. I was happy to work with a partner and figure out how to work together to create something we can both agree on. It was not always the easiest process and there are things that, if I were to do this again and have more time on it, I would do differently.
I hope you enjoyed seeing this project and if you would like to check out my partners work, just follow this link. (DC)
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