Hi r/MTB
I'm part of a team of 16 senior mechanical engineering students taking a product design capstone class. We're currently in the problem-seeking/brainstorming phase of our project.
If you have a problem that you think might be able to be solved by a mechanical/physical product, we would love to hear about it. (MTB-related or not. We're open to everything.) Please note, you absolutely do not need to have an idea of what that solution might look like. (Though if you do, we'd love to hear about that too!)
It's really important to us that we are, 1) trying to solve a problem that truly exists/that real people actually face, and 2) centering users throughout our design process to make sure we come up with a solution that's actually useful. If you have a problem to suggest, please leave a comment and/or fill out our google form: https://forms.gle/dPJs5AjeuTDAwFFw9
Thank you! 🙂
(Mods, please remove this post if not allowed, and apologies if so.)
by FruitfulElf5729
4 Comments
There is a massive gap in full suspension bike fit and suspension set up.
I would love to see some creative tools for setting shock sag, repeatable cockpit alignment for bar rotation, sweep, shifter location, and brake locations. Stuff like that.
So, to be a little blunt, but if there’s a real, viable problem that can be solved with a product… It’s so easy to prototype a product and test the waters these days that it’s unlikely that someone is just going to tell you, because then someone else could jump in and undercut them.
Welcome and thanks for taking the time to ask.
For me, there are two core issues with full-suspension mountain bikes that haven’t been overcome. Both relate to articulation during shock compression.
First, the front fork on a bicycle is angled forwards which transmits power up and toward the center of mass. If this could be articulated in a way that allowed for more efficient motion over bumps it would be revolutionary. [Many have tried to overcome this issue](https://ridesphereblog.com/structure-cycleworks-introduces-the-scw-1-and-with-it-a-revolution-in-front-suspension-design/), but nothing has been adopted due to cost (or perhaps appearance, but I wouldn’t care if it was an effective solution). Hopefully, any solution would also minimise or eliminate diving under heaving braking.
Secondly, the length of the bicycle chain changes when the rear suspension is compressed. Again, there have been [many solutions](https://www.bikemag.com/mountain-bike-gear/mountain-bike-suspension-explained), but they’re costly, complicated and, hence, not widely adopted.
I think the biggest factor for riders is simplicity and weight. We know (most of us) how to wrench on and repair our own bikes and new fancy suspension is a) expensive and b) unreliable. If it’s unreliable and uncommon then you’re not going to find spare parts.
Thanks again and good luck! Please report back and keep us updated
Also, why did you choose to focus on mountain biking? If you’re open to other ideas I do have another suggested product.
Fucking saddle attachments methods. All the tech in the world and swapping a saddle is still a miserable task. It’s so fiddly.