Team Members: Andrew Garner, Benjamin Lublin, Jordan Lym, Justin Pisarski
11 weeks
*Project limited to virtual due to Covid
Design a system-driven e-bike in a new market with clear visual brand language driven by user and market research.
A bikepacking e-assist bike with module attachments, user-driven components, and a service model.
Where can electric-assist open new markets in the bike industry?
Improving the entire bikepacking experience for riders who are not only new to the sport, but who are experienced as well.
The experience of using a bike as the primary means to transport a self-sufficient load of “camping gear” for the purpose of sleeping one or more nights in an outdoor location.
After conducting interviews with backpackers, mountain bikers, and bikepackers, we synthesized our information with two methods. We realized that there is much overlap between these three groups in our adjacent pollination exercise. Our affinity diagramming yielded key insights that helped us shape our personas.
Adjacent Pollination
Affinity Diagramming
Based on our insights we identified in our affinity diagramming and interviews, we built three personas that encompassed the bikepacking riders that we would be creating a solution for. These personas drove our ideation.
Scrappy, Learner, Adventurous
Relaxed, Calculated, Adventurous
Welcoming, Quirky, Adventurous
Stepping through the key points of the user journey allowed us to identify the lows of the bikepacking experience. These negatives drove design decisions and facilitated novelty during ideation of the product.
A dropped top tube and raised chain stay created a form consisting of two offset triangles, which became the form icon driving the rest of the forms.
E-Assist is implemented on the bike to primarily supplement pedaling up hills, addressing patented “hike-a-bike” situations and lowering the physical barrier of entry.
Our service model is provided via an outdoor outfitter placed inside of a local storefront at popular biking locations. Our bikes, bags, and routes are then prepared on site for our riders.
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Riders can access an online rental store to view available bikes at specific locations. They can customize their bike to their size and choose attachments.
The Overnight Bike is meant to serve as an assist rather than a source of power in order to maintain the bikepacking experience. Riders are limited to 10 mph on flat terrain, but can utilize a 7 mph uphill assist. On downhills, the bike automatically recharges.
Leverage outdoor outfitters to establish a client base and provide service to the bikes both before and after trips
Offer a variety of gear for the user to experiment with and optimize their experience when exploring
Offering service in tourist heavy mountain towns for newcomers and inhabitants to explore the landscape
We designed our gear rental experience to be approachable within the outfitter storefront. This would reduce the preparation needed to get out and ride.
Our outfitting application takes care of the majority of planning and preparation for your bikepacking trip, so that you can ride further. We use AR technology to take your measurement, so that we can fit your bike to you. Our algorithm also takes into account your planned terrain by providing the best geometry for the given activity.
Taking into account the mileage, terrain and gear, our battery calculator will ensure that our riders can last throughout the entire trip, no matter what they encounter.
Based off the information taken in by the outfitting application, it can then recommend the perfect gear for you and your trip. Fully customize your experience to have what you need and leave anything you don’t. The benefit of our rental service is that you can easily try different setups without the high investment of gear costs.
