Digital Commons Network^™

Bike-Geist Nyc, Jack D'Isidoro

Capstones

More people ride bicycles in New York City than ever before, and that number continues to grow. At the turn of the 20th century, this city was the epicenter of a cultural obsession with bicycles, and is on the verge of a second renaissance with these simple machines. This project highlights different iterations of bicycle culture within modern New York City, and the socioeconomic, interpersonal, and self-expressive stories it produces.

Influence Of Frame Stiffness And Rider Position On Bicycle Dynamics: An Analytical Study, Trevor Alan Williams

Theses and Dissertations

Advanced analytical and computational capabilities are allowing researchers to enhance the model complexity of bicycles and motorcycles in order to understand handling, stability and dynamic behavior. These models allow designers to investigate new frame layouts, alternative materials and different architectures. The structural stiffness of a frame plays a critical role in the handling behavior of a bike. However, the influence of structural stiffness has received limited attention in the existing literature. This study attempts to fill the gap by presenting analytical results that investigate the influence of structural stiffness in conjunction with rider positions on three distinct bicycle layouts. The …

Exercise Intensity And Performance Aspects Of Snow Biking Through The Use Of A Fat Bike, Kevin C. Phillips

All NMU Master's Theses

The aim of this study was to quantify, describe, and compare the exercise intensity and performance aspects of riding a fat bike, in a time trial (TT) format, on a natural earthen trail (ET) vs. on a groomed snow trail (ST). Eleven subjects, nine males and two females, participated in this two part study. Heart rate (HR) was used to quantify exercise intensity, examining average heart rate (HR_avg), and peak heart rate (HR_peak). In addition, a global positioning system (GPS) watch was used to assess time to complete the trail, average speed (speed_avg), and …

Rebekah's Ride, Alex Rowson, Cameron Weinberg, Jacob Hentzler, Kelly Perkins

Mechanical Engineering

It was our mission to design and build a bicycle attachment that provides a safe, comfortable, and entertaining ride that can attach to any common bicycle for Rebekah, a 12 year old girl living with cerebral palsy. The aluminum frame bicycle trailer we built motivates Rebekah to exercise with a speaker that plays music when she pedals and ceases the music when she stops pedaling. The speaker and sensor system is controlled by an Adafruit Trinket microcontroller using the Arduino IDE. The trailer does not have a chain drive so Rebekah's pedaling will not actually contribute to the movement of …

Veloelectric: Creating A Device That Harvests Energy From Bicycles, Austin Hall, Daniel Stohr, Tj Fox

Mechanical Engineering

Long distance mountain bikers, bike-packers, and many bikers in developing countries rely on electrical devices for safety and communication. These specific groups of people operate in areas with little to no electricity, and often times have no power to sustain their devices. The purpose of this Cal Poly senior project, VeloElectric, was to design, build, and test a kinetic energy harvester for bicycles that can be used to charge common mobile devices via USB. This senior project team created a device that attaches directly to a bicycle and uses vibrations to generate energy, which in turn powers a variety of …

Design Of An Automated Vehicle Detection System For Bicycles: Fireworks Cycling Sensor, Jason Cheng, Peter Kim, Tory Morgan, Clayton Young

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Abstract

This report explores the necessity for increased cyclist safety in urban settings, leading to the birth of a product which aims to drastically reduce the risk of accidents while heightening the sense of safety overall. The project outlines and details the product development process of a consumer-friendly vehicle detection system, with a holistic scope which includes technical rapid prototyping and coding, team dynamics, decision making process, and change management. Two formal prototypes were developed before a functional final product was identified and constructed, each iteration drastically improving practicality and efficiency of detection. The final product underwent extensive testing in …

Cable Drag Test, Alex Powers, Brandon Sadiarin, George Rodriguez Iv, Torey Kruisheer

Mechanical Engineering

The Smooth Shifters is a team composed of Alex Powers, Brandon Roy Sadiarin, George Rodriguez, and Torey Kruisheer. We are four senior mechanical engineering students at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) in San Luis Obispo, California that are working on a senior design project for Specialized Bicycle Components, Inc. located in Morgan Hill, California. We will be under the advisement of Professor Sarah T. Harding of the mechanical engineering department at Cal Poly.

Specialized, one of today’s leading bicycle companies, is in need of a test setup that measures brake and shifter cable drag. High performance cyclists using time …

Perceptions Of Bike Sharing In Underserved Communities Within Milwaukee And The Twin Cities, James Hannig

Theses and Dissertations

Despite becoming increasingly more popular in cities across North America, many bikeshare systems have received criticism for not reaching minority and low-income populations. Several bikeshare operators have implemented measures to reach these populations including removing financial barriers, placing stations in underserved neighborhoods, and partnering with various community organizations. However, until recently, few have explored how people in these underserved areas perceive bike sharing.

Feedback was solicited from key community partners in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota to better understand how bike sharing is perceived in underserved communities and to determine whether other models could better address the transportation needs …

Parker Hannifin Chainless Challenge 2014-15 Senior Design Project, Matt Pallotta, Nathan Klammer, Kemper Whaley, Jack Rechtin

Mechanical Engineering

California Polytechnic State University has been invited to compete in the Parker Hannifin Chainless Challenge Competition in 2014-15. Cal Poly has chosen a team of mechanical engineering students to take part. We have named our team “Bike Under Pressure” and all references as such refer to the team.

The challenge is to build a bicycle which does not have a solid mechanical connection between the power input of the rider to the power output of the wheel(s). After conducting research into different previous designs and brainstorming designs of their own, Bike Under Pressure developed two conceptual designs. One design featured …

Economic And Traffic Impacts Following The Installation Of New Bicycle Facilities: A Denver Case Study, Stephen Antonio Rijo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

America is currently experiencing a unique departure from the historical vehicle miles traveled (VMT) trend, often referred to as "peak travel." Decreasing VMT numbers suggest that the US is currently experiencing an unprecedented change in the way individuals utilize transportation systems. The following research calls on a need to understand the importance of improving alternative transportation infrastructure, namely cycling facilities, and how this impacts local businesses and their communities. This research informs the overarching question, "What are the economic and traffic impacts of cycling facilities?" A mixed methods analysis of retail sales tax, traffic count, and RTD transit access data …

Social Media Strategies Used In Marketing Custom Bicycle Framebuilding Companies, Angela Au

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Social media is a cost-effective marketing tool, and in a 2014 survey, 75% of small business owners reported that they used social media to market. However, many of these businesses merely set up social media profiles and do not use social media to its full potential. Microenterprise owners face barriers such as lack of time, financial resources, and marketing knowledge, preventing them from adopting social media as a marketing tool. This multiple case study explored what strategies microenterprise owners in the artisan economy need to market using social media. Data were collected from 5 custom bicycle framebuilders in a Southwestern …