Group Number: 5A
MAE 494 Design Project, Spring 2019
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
State University of New York at Buffalo
On the market today there is not a bike rack that allows the user to place the bike into the bike rack without lifting it to the rack itself. It can be difficult to mount a bike on your car, especially when the car mount is complicated or the bike is heavy. Pedal Power's bike rack will be easy to install and use.
The basic principle is to have an adjustable bike rack that eliminates the difficult task of lifting and securing your bike to your car. The rack mounts to the rear of the car, where it will lower to receive the bike at ground level, and raise to secure the bike off the ground. When the rack is in the down position, the bike can be effortlessly rolled on and clipped in. The system will also raise the bike back up with very minimal input of muscular potential.
This design is important because it will eliminate the need to lift heavy, bulky bikes onto awkward, poorly designed, and difficult to use bike racks, thereby making the transportation of bikes accessible to everyone.