Holding my bike with one hand and an umbrella on the other
while walking around University of Florida, I realized I wasn’t the only one
who was forced to get off their bike due to the rain. Seeing how this was a regular
occurrence, I asked myself “why?”. Why should I get off my bike rather than
continue on biking through the rain? Well I and the majority of UF don’t want
to get our personal items wet. Why not just juggle an umbrella on one hand
while biking? That takes focus and too much effort. With all these questions
roaming around my head, I thought of a product that would meet many bikers
needs. Why hold an umbrella while biking when you can have one already
installed onto your bike? No longer would bikers have to get off their bike or
be forced to wear garbage bags on them. This is a big opportunity because this
need is yet to be met and with the constant rainy weather in Gainesville, many
students who both ride a bike as well as a motorcycle/moped will now be
protected under a bike cover, umbrella.
The name of the
product I have designed is called “Coverella”. It’s not a normal umbrella
attached to a bike, but rather a clear plastic material that is collapsible. You
first attach it to the bottom of your seats bar and it will extend a few inches
out towards the wheel and then be able to be pulled up and around you towards
your handle bars under bar that is attached to your frame. This will allow you
to be safely protected from the rain and wind while you’re biking. Not only is
it a simple cover, but there will also be two things installed onto it to allow
you to have clear visibility while biking. You will have collapsible rain
wipers on all sides of your bike that are to be put into outlets that will
power it to function. The second installation will be a small heating mechanism
that will be attached to all sides of the cover that will heat the cover and
evaporate the fog from the cover. The cover will also include to windows that
you’ll be able to unzip if you need to. Once this product is officially developed
and looked at it, I will start contacting stores who want to buy my product and
have them in turn sell it to their loyal customers. I will also develop a
website where customers will also have the option to buy it online rather than
bike shops and other stores. It will go for sell on line for about 100-200$
depending on how much it cost to develop one and other related costs to keep
the business running successfully.
Hi Stephanie,
ReplyDeleteI think this is absolutely an opportunity that needs to be addressed. My concern with this idea is that it will either be too time consuming to install or too much of a hinderance or annoyance when driving inside a cover. How do you plan to deal with air flow and restricting the driver to the space that the plastic bubble allows for? Also, does this meat DMV driving laws in order to be used on scoots? Great idea just continue to refine the product. In my venture concept I discussed the introduction of a lifeguarding drone to be used by lifesaving companies during ocean rescues. Here's the link to my post if you'd like to check it out:
http://gregneatrours.blogspot.com/2016/03/venture-concept-no-1.html
Hi Stephanie,
ReplyDeleteI really like where you are going. It may be a little too much to start off with, such as having the wipers and heaters because of the bubble. Maybe a simpler concept you can work on now can be something that will hold the umbrella onto the bike while the person wears a poncho. You can sell the umbrella holder, and also offer an umbrella and poncho for purchase for those who don't already have one. You have a great idea and I think students would love a solution to this problem. Definitely keep developing your idea!
If you have a chance, check out my post.
http://myso-bloggedlife.blogspot.com/2016/03/venture-concept-no-1.html
Hey Stephanie,
ReplyDeleteYou have a really great idea here! I do agree that it is a little ambitious but that definitely doesn't mean it's not achievable! You make tons of good points about what you plan to do and I also think the name of your service is really catchy! Here is the link to my blog in case you wanted to check it out: http://shannoncea.blogspot.com/2016/03/venture-concept-no1.html
I like the direction you are going with this. I think there is a great market for scooter mods here in gainsville. Summer and Fall Semesters always have a lot of rain and this idea is the perfect solution. Maybe you could make them reusable and actually rent the bubbles over annual periods. I'm curious to were this goes but overall i think it's a great idea. Check out my blog. http://alexandvon.blogspot.com/
ReplyDelete