So this last Wednesday I presented what I've done this semester for my thesis project to a panel of 3 professors, 2 of which were new to my project. I'm glad to say it went quite well.
They liked the direction and my project narrative (my target consumer is right below), and suggested to help me differentiate myself from other more bike centric trailers on the market to really heighten in my promotional materials and in presentation the walking cart aspect of my trailer. Perhaps adding a second person to my narrative, a Charlene to my Charlie (I'm thinking Charlie's wife, she doesn't bike but likes to walk to the store.)
This past week I really moved the trailer design forward. I had made a rough frame out of pvc pipe, but it was really premature to start building, all it really did was confuse the issue when I was still not even close to sure of a final form to test. I omitted the physical models from the presentation and stuck with sketches.
What I really moved forward on was getting away from the
Travoy idea which has really held me back and thinking about the trailer and bag as one neatly integrated instead of two separated entities. So I put away the old sketches and ideas and just started to sketch more organic forms of a bag and trailer together.
The bag clips over a frame which gives it form and rigidity. The red levers are at fold points. The vertical wings which give depth to the bag fold flat and the wheels would detach to fit in the back of a closet or behind a door.
The walking configuration. The castor walking wheel folds down and locks into position. At the top there is the push/pull handle.
The riding configuration, the castor wheel folds up and out of the way while the trailer hitch arm fold ups to the seat post and attaches there. The actual hitch mechanism is unresolved at this point but I know it will need a full range of motion to let the two wheels of the trailer stay in contact with the ground when turning. I've also realized that the castor wheel support structure will need some covering or sealing as during riding the bike wheel will spray water and debris all over it. One other note, the trailer is not quite to scale of the bicycle, its drawn way to big here. Think 1/4 smaller.
The bag will be two compartments, a smaller top compartment for small or fragile items (phone, wallet, keys, laptop). I see this having fold up dividers for item need customization. The larger lower compartment would be for large or bulky items, such as full grocery bags. Ideally, the two compartments will be combinable for extra large items (think large dog food bags).
And moving forward,
Thought are always welcome! Thanks for reading!
The bag clips over a frame which gives it form and rigidity. The red levers are at fold points. The vertical wings which give depth to the bag fold flat and the wheels would detach to fit in the back of a closet or behind a door.
The walking configuration. The castor walking wheel folds down and locks into position. At the top there is the push/pull handle.
The riding configuration, the castor wheel folds up and out of the way while the trailer hitch arm fold ups to the seat post and attaches there. The actual hitch mechanism is unresolved at this point but I know it will need a full range of motion to let the two wheels of the trailer stay in contact with the ground when turning. I've also realized that the castor wheel support structure will need some covering or sealing as during riding the bike wheel will spray water and debris all over it. One other note, the trailer is not quite to scale of the bicycle, its drawn way to big here. Think 1/4 smaller.
The bag will be two compartments, a smaller top compartment for small or fragile items (phone, wallet, keys, laptop). I see this having fold up dividers for item need customization. The larger lower compartment would be for large or bulky items, such as full grocery bags. Ideally, the two compartments will be combinable for extra large items (think large dog food bags).
