Design of a titanium folding bike for the urban commuting market

Design of a titanium folding bike for the urban commuting market

Van den Heijkant, R.

Silvester, S. (mentor)
Wartenberg, L. (mentor)

Industrial Design Engineering

Industrial Design

Master of Science Integrated Product Design

2010-09-16

Van Nicholas -The titanium bicycle company- wants to extend her portfolio with a full titanium folding bike that is focussed on the urban commuting market. The mechanical properties of titanium are excellent for the application of a folding bike frame; strong and light. The new folding bike should differentiate itself from the competition by performance and appearance (clean, smooth and aerodynamic). The folding bike should not compete on price. It should be a high-end product for an exclusive target group that has special demands. The final design, the Tigris, is the result of combining the strength of titanium with top class components and innovative hinge solutions. The hinges are designed to be ‘invisible’ to enhance the smooth appearance and create the feel of riding a full sized bike. Competitive advantage of the Tigris are: Light weighted (10kg in total) Aerodynamic design (exclusive) Clean frame (no clamps or catches) Invisible hinges (smooth appearance) High usability (rolling folded package) Small folded package (118 Litres only) Good ride (large wheelbase, 18”wheels) High-end components (high efficiency) Belt drive (clean, durable, silent and light) The combination of these qualities is unique and therefore positions Van Nicholas immediately in the top ten of the folding bike market. The Tigris is designed for those who want to travel by folding bike as part of a mobility chain, while still maintaining a high image by its exclusive smooth design.

Titanium
Folding
Bicycle

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:227bc06e-4666-4055-8709-637afb7279a8

2011-09-16

Campus only

Student theses

master thesis

(c) 2010 Van den Heijkant, R.