Casual Commuters

Rethinking the financial accessibility of cycling products

Motivation

From milk crates and zip ties to cooling racks and bungee cords, many commuters resort to DIY options for toting their belongings. Though convenient, pannier bags currently on the market are often expensive and not worth the investment to casual riders. This product aims to meet riders in the middle, providing them with a low-cost way of safely securing their bag to their racks without permanent installments or required bag changes. 

Goal

Design a product that can accomodate a standard backpack, is easy to install, remove, and store.

Skills
- prototyping
- project management
- quality testing

Timeline
Jan - May 2023
15 weeks

Collaborators
C. Buchanan
E. Daigle
C. Pursley
L. Tramontozzi

Project Summary

This project was conducted as part of a semester-long course in product realization. The priorities were to consider the manufacturing and production process along the progression from ideation to conception to mass production. We were given a $300 restriction for all materials and manufacturing needs, including tooling, for 10 prototypes. As such, the product reflects its bounds. Our final design was chosen as the best avenue to solve the identified problem while strengthening our skills in project management, hands-on prototyping, improving a process, and product testing. 

Outcomes and Competencies

- conducted voice-of-customer research 
- iterated through concept, EVT, DVT, and PVT phases across 10 complete prototypes
- generated comprehensive product requirements and specifications
- designed and fabricated assembly tooling and fixtures and drafted corresponding SOPs, control plans, and process plans
- implemented quality test plans (functional, durable, reliable, aesthetic, user)​​​​​​​
- developed cost models and mass manufacturing plan utilizing aPriori manufacturing simulations

Final Design

Primary Design Requirements

- Should not interfere with safety 
- Should not be burdensome to remove and store
- Should be simple for the user to assemble

Our bike rack platform extends the surface of rear-wheel racks so that riders may easily stow their belongings on their commute. Unlike most pannier bags, allowing the rider to affix their regular pack to their bike eliminates the hassle of transferring belongings to a different bag on commuting days. Folding design allows for minimal overall footprint and can easily be stored in main compartment of standard backpacks or many elastic water bottle pockets.

Fabrication and Assembly

With 24 different pieces of nylon webbing and Velcro in each unit, we had to get creative to effectively control soft materials. To expedite the assembly process and ensure consistency, we developed tooling plans and created fixtures for fabricating and assembling parts. 

Fixtures hold straps in place for precise cuts and hole placement.

The assembly frame features recessed placements for washers, nylon straps, velcro attachments, and wood slats. The depth of each step matches the thickness of its corresponding part so that all holes are aligned for rivet placement and parts remain fixed during assembly.

Resources on sailing textiles and stitch strength informed the construction of over 240 sewn attachments. 

Testing and Documentation

Design requirements were translated into comprehensive product specifications, defining all necessary features to achieve our goals and eliminate associated risks. To track our progress and alignment with the product specs, we conducted quality tests (durable, functional, reliable, user, aesthetic) for all samples through EVT, DVT, and PVT phases.

All product specifications map to over 50 unique tests, ensuring our final product met promised design requirements.