Esquisse 3: Alternative materials

Decided to look into a plastic frame that could be applied to the bicycle. The plastic family usually follow the properties of lightweight, cheap and non toxic, so I thought it would be a good starting point for an alternative material. At the bottom left of the a4 styleboard there is a great PP collapsible helmet which I was quite impressed with and a portable PP carry case to transport the bicycle and its components! Talk about convenience.



Taking a different approach I thought I would research into a material which was in its raw state, but still could be used with the desired area. Bamboo is a great natural resource which is readily available and thought it would be deserving of a secondary choice for an alternative material.



A revolutionary new tyre researched by French company Michelin. I love the technology and feel that it could be applied to the concept bicycle in a great way. At the moment it has purely been used in concept cars, namely AUDI and has yet to be tested in a bicycle environment.

In class exercise: week 3 - SWOT

In class exercise on Tuesday, SWOT and research analysis. Conducted with Ben McFadyen, Matthew Bull & Josh Tiley.

Bicycle Inspiration

Esquisse 2: Shared Rides

Below is an A3 style board for comparisons of bicycle designs and technical variations. Not only did I look into existing sharing system bicycles from all over the globe but I also had a look at some interesting and unique bicycles that have already been manufactured and are here selling in Melbourne. There is also a collection of inspiration images seen top right of concepts which could prove useful in the conceptual design stage of this project.



Below is an A3 style board for the research into infrastructure analysing integration into vernacular. When looking through this it might also be helpful to refer back to the vernacular in class exercise which has been posted on the template given in a previous blog entry. This explored the concept of shared bicycle systems in different countries and using the vernacular board how a bicycle can be created following in the theme of Melbourne at its current status.



Below is an A3 style board for a study examining road use/congestion. Implementing a bicycle sharing scheme would deter road motorists as supported by the growing statistics of traffic in Melbourne. As long as the sharing stations are set up at appropriate areas and bicycles are readily available there is no reason why this system could not work. Outlined in the A3 spread is a map of the nervous system of Melbourne and traffic congestion hot spots according to the time and day. For example on weekends Hoddle St is quite congested with football games and functions being held at the Melbourne tennis centre. The bicycle sharing system could help to overcome this!



As outlined a PDS was to be included in Esquisse 2 which tabulated all research findings not only from this exercise but previous research findings when looking into the bicycle sharing system. This has been narrowed down to certain categories to try and expand on the specifications which need to be thought about when starting the conceptual process stage.

Vernacular in class exercise

During class after watching some of the videos that students had prepared we were asked to fill out the above chart to try and grasp a further understanding and expand on our thoughts of 'this is Melbourne'.

I conducted this exercise with Matthew Lumbao and attached above is what we have come up with!

Helmets

Oakley breathable helmet. Looks unique and stylish however probably would not have the comfort factor. On the other hand it would be relatively easy to clean and maintain.



Collapsible helmet. Great look and easy for storage and transport. Quite complex in design containing quite a few different parts.

Transport statistics

( http://www.bv.com.au/bike-futures/10549/ )

See how bikes measure up in value-for-money terms.

Bicycles are probably the most cost-effective transport infrastructure available. Consider the following transport statistics and see how bikes measure up in value for money terms.

Bicycles are ideally suited for urban trips: the median trip length in Melbourne is 2.9km and 10 minutes.

Unused bicycles

There are over a million unused bicycles in Melbourne.

In Melbourne there are:

• 2.4 million registered motor vehicles (1.47 people per vehicle)
• 1.2 million bicycles (of which 70,000 are used each day on average)
• 478 trams
• 152 trains

Fitting them all in

More people on bikes can fit on the road than people in cars.

Estimated number of people an hour (as opposed to vehicles per hour) who can use a 3m wide road lane/transport reserve using:

Private car	1,000
Bicycle	8,000
Rigid bus	5,000-17,000
Articulated bus	26,000
Light Rail	7,000-10,000
Heavy Rail	50,000

Hubless Chopper

Hubless Chopper Inspiration
love the idea of no spokes making it seem like its floating.

Bicycle Design Research

Like the colours used throughout this bicycle and the difference in frame and hub layout. The seat is minimal and overall the bike is quite eye catching.

Extremely different design. Fully compact and excellent for storage. All parts are hidden including chain and drive shaft, which eliminates some room for damage and objects getting stuck in exposed areas.

Love this design with the red tyres. Overall a very visual appealing concept and the frame seems to look quite durable. On the side of the frame there is adequate area for advertising. Again this bike follows the no spoke design, which is what I hope to be following with.

Esquisse 1 - This is Melbourne

Inspiration:

Love the shape of the frame and the white wall tyres associated with this bicycle. Might not be comfortable to operate however its eye catching and is quite different to the usual bikes seen from day to day.

Again same sort of theme running through this bike large tyre walls and retro style frame.

Enjoy!