Designed by Nghia (Wilson) Ly, Caleb Mayer, Daria Frame
Target Consumer
Consumer Needs
What does the consumer need?
Relating to accidents caused by bicycle chains, parents want a bike option for their kids that is safer than what is already on the market. But it is not the whole bike that malfunctions and causes injury to the rider. In fact, most cycling accidents are caused by the chain system/sprocket. In reality, parents are really wanting a chain system that is safer than what is currently on the market.
Performance
What should the system be able to do?
Most kids between the ages of 4 and 10 years do not have professional, high quality bikes from local or specialized stores. Most families purchase their bikes at big retail stores like Walmart or Target. This means that the bike is likely lower quality. Also, most kids in this range do not think about the maintenance their bike needs, so it never happens. Because of this, our product will need to remain cheap, with a higher level of safety, so that it can replace the existing chain standard. The chain has to have a very low chance of skipping, slipping or breaking, it cannot cut the child when it comes in contact with skin or clothes, and it has to be durable enough to last years with very minimal maintenance.
Target Cost
What is the anticipated cost for the product?
At Bicycle Sport Shop, Austin Texas, measuring and installing a chain costs $12. Installing a drivetrain and shifter upgrade costs $125. The drivetrain itself cannot be bought at stores like Walmart, but buying a multi-speed drivetrain from specialized stores and sites can cost hundreds of dollars. The price of a single drivetrain replacement cannot be found; most people just buy a whole new bike if a child’s drivetrain breaks. Therefore, our product has to be cheaper than the $125 it costs to install a drivetrain and shifter upgrade at a bike shop, and even cheaper because the chain would most often be sold to manufacturers instead of directly to consumers. The highest price we could ask for would be $50.
Service Price List. (n.d.). Retrieved October 06, 2016, from http://bicyclesportshop.com/about/service-price-list-pg1874.htm
Size and Weight
What size? Are there any size restrictions?
The size of a bike as a whole is standardized based on the average size of riders in a specific stage of growth or age. The chain of a bike has to be proportional to the size of the bike. A one speed drivetrain on a children's bike will not be as big or bulky as the drivetrain of a multi-speed adult bike. Below is a useful website for determining the size of bike a child should get. The weight of the system is negligible because it will be roughly the same as the current drivetrain system, possibly less.
The Definitive Guide to Kids Bike Sizes (Don’t Buy the Wrong Bike). (2015). The Definitive Guide to Kids Bike Sizes (Don't Buy the Wrong Bike). Retrieved October 06, 2016, from http://www.icebike.org/the-definitive-guide-to-kids-bike-sizes-dont-buy-the-wrong-bike/
Aesthetics
Are there any appearance preferences?
The drivetrain system cannot bulk out too much on the side it is located, or else it will scrape and rub against the legs and ankles of the rider. This would affect the safety of the whole system. No wild colors or color differentiation is needed; it only needs to blend in with the color scheme of the bike frame. Generally, the drivetrain of a bike is either black or white. Black is often seen as better, because it does not show as much dirt. It would be easy to vary the color of the product. If the drivetrain appears too complicated, it could deter buyers because it implies that fixing it could be a hassle and less people would buy it for that reason. It should have somewhat of a noticeable difference from the common drivetrain, though, so that people know it is something new and can draw some attention in that respect.
Materials
What materials must be used?
Much of the materials would be similar to the standard drivetrain now. There may or may not be a chain at all, but a system of gears or belts to create the motion. However, the materials to make these products would be very similar too. Gears are most often made out of steel or other durable metals. Belts can be made of metal, rubber or other malleable materials.
Safety and Legal
Potential safety and legal issues that may arise from the use of this product.
The main idea behind the design of our chain system is to make the product safer for children. Even though safety is a main component of the product, serious legal problems could arise if a child is seriously injured due to a malfunction because of a malfunction of our product. We could face lawsuit from the parents because we advertised a safe product, but their child was hurt because of the product.
Ergonomics
Considerations for the ergonomics of the product.
Our product is intended to be out of the way and make riding safer for children. The product we create will be incorporated by larger businesses on to their products. The reasoning behind this is because we will create just the chain system and not the entire bike, thus the chain system must be of adequate constraints and ergonomics for said companies to use our product.
Operating Environment
Environmental conditions relevant to the manufacture and use of the product (temperature, corrosion potential, dust or dirt, pressure, humidity, vibration, noise, degree of abuse, etc.).
The product should have too many problems because of environmental effects, but some may include corrosion potential, vibration, and degree of abuse. Corrosion is possible because the product may be mostly constructed of steel, but can be fought by using steel with certain additives. Vibration can affect a chain system in many ways and cause it to come apart, but that is a part of our improvements to the system. Degree of abuse is going to be a problem for every product, if the owner of our product misuses the bike’s chain system there could be problems, but yet another goal is to make the chain system more durable, in turn making it last longer.
Global Environment
Will the product include any toxic or dangerous substances? What is the plan for disposal of the product at the end of its life?
The product will not contain any environmentally harmful substances, like batteries, but may include some plastics and will have some metals. Disposal of the product will be safe and done the same way as any other recyclable material.
Service Life
What is the required service life of the product?
Service life can be determined by how long the materials of the product will last. Steel and Aluminum can rust, and plastics can be destroyed over time. The life of materials varies based on its molecular qualities and degree of abuse to the materials, so an exact service life of the product isn’t possible to determine at this time.
Product Life
How long will the product last?
The required service life for the product would be between four to five years of ages due to the consumer range. Our intended to aim for the manufacture that produces children's’ bike from the age of four to eight. Therefore, it’s necessary for the chain system to last throughout the targeted ages before switching to more advance bike.
Durability and Maintenance
What kind of maintenance and how often will the product require?
For our product, we mostly aim at the durability which require less maintenance by consumer since there will be a large degree of abuse. One of such that the misuse of the bike by children will affect the chain system by reducing its lifespan and efficiency as well as causing malfunction of the product. Nevertheless, there will be at most one time that the system need to be maintain. Every part of the chain system will have easy access when maintenance because the system is visible to the consumer. The anticipate maintenance schedule will be unnecessary if the bike is use correctly. If there is problem with chain itself, the nashbar is required to disconnect the chain either to either fix or substitute the new part. The substitute part can be acquired through the official manufacture website, bike supply store.
Criterion Prioritized
Consumer Needs/ Target Cost
Performance
Legal and Safety/ Global Environment
Materials
Durability and Maintenance/Operating Environment
Product/Service Life
Ergonomics
Size and Weight
Aesthetics
Constraints
Time: This product has to be designed with a constructed and ready prototype by May 11th, at the latest.
Material: It needs to be inexpensive so that both the bike manufacturer and our company profit, but it still maintains a higher level of durability.
Children: We have to use an original bike already sized for kids 4-10 yrs. It is best if we can get actual children to test out the bike in all ages.