The design of a composite folding bike to improve the user experience of commuters

Abstract

Abstract. Over the last years, the popularity of folding bikes has been increasing as a result of the rise of multi-modal transport. They are used by commuters as a complement to public transport. Despite the increasing popularity, the current market offer of folding bikes still represents quite some restrictions and downsides which decrease their usability. This paper shows a user-centred process of designing and prototyping a composite folding bike with the aim of improving the user experience of folding bike using commuters. By improving the usability and ease of use of folding bikes, their full potential can be unlocked. The design process led to a disruptive folding bike design with front and rear single-sided offset wheel mounting. The concept excels in its intuitive and quick folding mechanism, superior riding performance and comfort, adjustability and overall ease of use. In addition to the design process and prototyping of the folding bike, this extended abstract elaborates on the performed user tests and its results. These tests range from the impact of offset wheels to the intuitiveness of the folding mechanism and were performed in order to prove different aspects of the design. This research shows how rethinking and redesigning a bike concept (product) from scratch, using a user-centred design process and taking into account the three aspects -business, technology and people -can lead to a disruptive design that improves usability and the overall user experience of the stakeholders.

Exploring Performances of Electric Micro-Mobility Vehicles and Behavioural Patterns of Riders for In-Depth Accident Analysis

“…In fact, while no in-depth information is available in terms of the market penetration rate for these types of city bikes, wheels with a 28 diameter typically suit a bike frame for a person whose height ranges between 165 cm and 178 cm (https://www.feltracing.com/26-inch-bike-for-whatsize-person/, 13 October 2021); since these lower and upper bounds correspond to the average heights for European women and men, respectively, it can be derived that these city bikes are extremely popular in Europe. The 20 diameter conversely corresponds to the typical wheel size of a folding bike, a compromise between compactness of the folded configuration and bike agility in the road environment [33]. The two e-bikes used for experimentation can be seen in Figure 1.…”