Things wanted in the Mtb Community

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Things wanted in the Mtb Community
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flag johndalton777
Posted: Jun 14, 2018 at 16:05 Quote
Hello my name is John and I am a entrepreneur that likes to ride mountain bikes and i want to build mountain bike products if you have any idea please let me know. thanks
flag no-good-ideas
O+ FL
Posted: Jun 14, 2018 at 23:13 Quote
Good bikes!

All kidding aside, unique tool / pump / spare part mounting solutions seem to be fairly limited. One up components provides a nice option. Which I currently use, however nowhere to store that pesky tube...
flag RunsWithScissors
Posted: Jun 15, 2018 at 9:05 Quote
pcledrew wrote:
Good bikes!

All kidding aside, unique tool / pump / spare part mounting solutions seem to be fairly limited. One up components provides a nice option. Which I currently use, however nowhere to store that pesky tube...


How did you end up thinking that the selection of tool and spare part mounting solutions already in the market was "fairly limited"? I work in the bike industry and one of the things I do for my employer is design widgety stuff like that. Its hard to come up with an idea that someone else hasn't already thought of, patented and introduced into the market, or a problem that doesn't already have at least six different solutions that really work.

I'm not trying to pick on you or be sarcastic AT ALL. I'm just trying to understand your point of view. The market looks full of stuff like that to me, and myself and others are coming up with new stuff that you don't REALLY need every day. Tell me what you want, promise to buy it at a price that lets me eat every day and I'll happily design widgets that are just perfect for you, but damn, there's a lot out there already from what I see...
flag doggparadox
Posted: Jun 15, 2018 at 9:31 Quote
A nicer looking trail bell. Timber bells are awesome and have prevented at least a few accidents among people I know (myself included), but they're hideous looking. Something a little more clean an integrated would be awesome.
flag zsandstrom
O+
Posted: Jun 15, 2018 at 10:09 Quote
Here are a few on my hit list, as well as what I'd be willing to pay for them:

--3/4 sleeve jersey with slim but functional elbow pads built in ($75).
--Cleats that work with both Shimano and Crank Brothers (or at least a shoe with a quick cleat release for quick changes) ($40/cleats, $150/shoes)
--Carry-friendly electric hand pump. No one likes looking like they're wanking off on the side of the trail while they pump their tire back up. Would be best if it still worked as a regular hand pump when the battery dies. Also, the Fumpa pump is a miserable failure at trying to do this. If you can make it the size of a 100cc pump, which I think is reasonable, I bet you can charge like $150 for those no problem ($150).
--Carry-friendly telescoping derailleur hanger alignment tool. Bikepackers will love you. ($50).
--A tool for tightening and loosening those little nuts that hold your tubeless valve stems in place that isn't pliers. ($15)
--ANY tool for aligning a brake caliper on its rotor so that it won't rub. Seriously, I will buy this one tomorrow. ($50)

Hey RunsWithScissors: how many of those are taken that you know of?
flag RunsWithScissors
Posted: Jun 15, 2018 at 12:01 Quote
zsandstrom wrote:
Here are a few on my hit list, as well as what I'd be willing to pay for them:

--3/4 sleeve jersey with slim but functional elbow pads built in ($75).
--Cleats that work with both Shimano and Crank Brothers (or at least a shoe with a quick cleat release for quick changes) ($40/cleats, $150/shoes)
--Carry-friendly electric hand pump. No one likes looking like they're wanking off on the side of the trail while they pump their tire back up. Would be best if it still worked as a regular hand pump when the battery dies. Also, the Fumpa pump is a miserable failure at trying to do this. If you can make it the size of a 100cc pump, which I think is reasonable, I bet you can charge like $150 for those no problem ($150).
--Carry-friendly telescoping derailleur hanger alignment tool. Bikepackers will love you. ($50).
--A tool for tightening and loosening those little nuts that hold your tubeless valve stems in place that isn't pliers. ($15)
--ANY tool for aligning a brake caliper on its rotor so that it won't rub. Seriously, I will buy this one tomorrow. ($50)

Hey RunsWithScissors: how many of those are taken that you know of?

Some of these ideas, while I can certainly see the value, don't sound very feasible to design or produce due to size/material/technology constraints. Battery powered compressor is a good example. To make it able to reach high enough pressure to work and still fit the tool and battery in a small package you're gonna have to go with an inflation rate that is ridiculously slow. Think micro compressor run by a tiny motor, spinning through a bunch of reduction gears to build torque, and losing a little bit of speed and torque in each gear....

Tool for torqueing presta valve retaining nuts would necessitate a "standard" size and shape for presta nuts, which would result in widespread derision and claims of greedy evil conspiracies within the industry to make everyone spend more money on blah, blah, blah, Illuminati, Bilderberg, Benghazi, whatever... Otherwise, pay for it and I'll design and make it. Stupid easy to do, but there's no money in it and everyone has to eat.

Tool for aligning caliper already exists in multiple forms. The ones I've seen are basically a pair of thin metal shims that you slip between rotor and pads while the caliper bolts are loose, then you tighten the bolts and remove the shim. It works more or less. You can also do the same with a pair of business cards. Or with enough practice you can center the caliper at one end and partially tighten the bolt, then push on the other end until it's in alignment and torque both bolts...

Now the portable derailleur hanger alignment tool IS an idea that definitely has legs. Not hard to design or produce at all. Basically it's a bolt with a telescoping handle and a feeler gauge on the end. You just have to decide how durable it needs to be, and how light so that you can choose a material to work in. Since the original poster was looking for products to produce, I'm inclined to leave this idea alone out of good sportsmanship, but I'd definitely run with it if I had thought of it myself first. There's probably at least six different ways you could produce such a thing and probably make money on it without even charging $50 a copy.
flag zsandstrom
O+
Posted: Jun 15, 2018 at 12:22 Quote
RunsWithScissors wrote:
zsandstrom wrote:
Here are a few on my hit list, as well as what I'd be willing to pay for them:

--3/4 sleeve jersey with slim but functional elbow pads built in ($75).
--Cleats that work with both Shimano and Crank Brothers (or at least a shoe with a quick cleat release for quick changes) ($40/cleats, $150/shoes)
--Carry-friendly electric hand pump. No one likes looking like they're wanking off on the side of the trail while they pump their tire back up. Would be best if it still worked as a regular hand pump when the battery dies. Also, the Fumpa pump is a miserable failure at trying to do this. If you can make it the size of a 100cc pump, which I think is reasonable, I bet you can charge like $150 for those no problem ($150).
--Carry-friendly telescoping derailleur hanger alignment tool. Bikepackers will love you. ($50).
--A tool for tightening and loosening those little nuts that hold your tubeless valve stems in place that isn't pliers. ($15)
--ANY tool for aligning a brake caliper on its rotor so that it won't rub. Seriously, I will buy this one tomorrow. ($50)

Hey RunsWithScissors: how many of those are taken that you know of?

Some of these ideas, while I can certainly see the value, don't sound very feasible to design or produce due to size/material/technology constraints. Battery powered compressor is a good example. To make it able to reach high enough pressure to work and still fit the tool and battery in a small package you're gonna have to go with an inflation rate that is ridiculously slow. Think micro compressor run by a tiny motor, spinning through a bunch of reduction gears to build torque, and losing a little bit of speed and torque in each gear....

Tool for torqueing presta valve retaining nuts would necessitate a "standard" size and shape for presta nuts, which would result in widespread derision and claims of greedy evil conspiracies within the industry to make everyone spend more money on blah, blah, blah, Illuminati, Bilderberg, Benghazi, whatever... Otherwise, pay for it and I'll design and make it. Stupid easy to do, but there's no money in it and everyone has to eat.

Tool for aligning caliper already exists in multiple forms. The ones I've seen are basically a pair of thin metal shims that you slip between rotor and pads while the caliper bolts are loose, then you tighten the bolts and remove the shim. It works more or less. You can also do the same with a pair of business cards. Or with enough practice you can center the caliper at one end and partially tighten the bolt, then push on the other end until it's in alignment and torque both bolts...

Now the portable derailleur hanger alignment tool IS an idea that definitely has legs. Not hard to design or produce at all. Basically it's a bolt with a telescoping handle and a feeler gauge on the end. You just have to decide how durable it needs to be, and how light so that you can choose a material to work in. Since the original poster was looking for products to produce, I'm inclined to leave this idea alone out of good sportsmanship, but I'd definitely run with it if I had thought of it myself first. There's probably at least six different ways you could produce such a thing and probably make money on it without even charging $50 a copy.

Yeah the compressor pump is a design problem for sure. That said, we've miniaturized some pretty insane things in the last 100 years, so although it might not be a "now" item, or even a next 10 years item, I'm happy to wait for someone to figure it out.

As to the retaining nuts, maybe a better option would be to sell them in like 50 colors with matching stem caps (already a thing) and custom laser etching (easy), and sell them with an install tool. Even so, that business model is still much more "dude in garage" and less "growable, sustainable, sellable company".

As for the portable hanger alignment tool....Yeah, you could make money selling it for less....but why would you do that? This is MTB! We have $30 inner tubes, $120 foam strips, and $3,000 wheels that we openly acknowledge are more likely to break than their $200 competition. Way I see it is that although it's not as durable, it's portable, so if someone is willing to pay $50 for the X-Tools alignment gauge, then why not get the portable version?
flag RunsWithScissors
Posted: Jun 15, 2018 at 16:49 Quote
zsandstrom wrote:
RunsWithScissors wrote:
zsandstrom wrote:
Here are a few on my hit list, as well as what I'd be willing to pay for them:

--3/4 sleeve jersey with slim but functional elbow pads built in ($75).
--Cleats that work with both Shimano and Crank Brothers (or at least a shoe with a quick cleat release for quick changes) ($40/cleats, $150/shoes)
--Carry-friendly electric hand pump. No one likes looking like they're wanking off on the side of the trail while they pump their tire back up. Would be best if it still worked as a regular hand pump when the battery dies. Also, the Fumpa pump is a miserable failure at trying to do this. If you can make it the size of a 100cc pump, which I think is reasonable, I bet you can charge like $150 for those no problem ($150).
--Carry-friendly telescoping derailleur hanger alignment tool. Bikepackers will love you. ($50).
--A tool for tightening and loosening those little nuts that hold your tubeless valve stems in place that isn't pliers. ($15)
--ANY tool for aligning a brake caliper on its rotor so that it won't rub. Seriously, I will buy this one tomorrow. ($50)

Hey RunsWithScissors: how many of those are taken that you know of?

Some of these ideas, while I can certainly see the value, don't sound very feasible to design or produce due to size/material/technology constraints. Battery powered compressor is a good example. To make it able to reach high enough pressure to work and still fit the tool and battery in a small package you're gonna have to go with an inflation rate that is ridiculously slow. Think micro compressor run by a tiny motor, spinning through a bunch of reduction gears to build torque, and losing a little bit of speed and torque in each gear....

Tool for torqueing presta valve retaining nuts would necessitate a "standard" size and shape for presta nuts, which would result in widespread derision and claims of greedy evil conspiracies within the industry to make everyone spend more money on blah, blah, blah, Illuminati, Bilderberg, Benghazi, whatever... Otherwise, pay for it and I'll design and make it. Stupid easy to do, but there's no money in it and everyone has to eat.

Tool for aligning caliper already exists in multiple forms. The ones I've seen are basically a pair of thin metal shims that you slip between rotor and pads while the caliper bolts are loose, then you tighten the bolts and remove the shim. It works more or less. You can also do the same with a pair of business cards. Or with enough practice you can center the caliper at one end and partially tighten the bolt, then push on the other end until it's in alignment and torque both bolts...

Now the portable derailleur hanger alignment tool IS an idea that definitely has legs. Not hard to design or produce at all. Basically it's a bolt with a telescoping handle and a feeler gauge on the end. You just have to decide how durable it needs to be, and how light so that you can choose a material to work in. Since the original poster was looking for products to produce, I'm inclined to leave this idea alone out of good sportsmanship, but I'd definitely run with it if I had thought of it myself first. There's probably at least six different ways you could produce such a thing and probably make money on it without even charging $50 a copy.

Yeah the compressor pump is a design problem for sure. That said, we've miniaturized some pretty insane things in the last 100 years, so although it might not be a "now" item, or even a next 10 years item, I'm happy to wait for someone to figure it out.

As to the retaining nuts, maybe a better option would be to sell them in like 50 colors with matching stem caps (already a thing) and custom laser etching (easy), and sell them with an install tool. Even so, that business model is still much more "dude in garage" and less "growable, sustainable, sellable company".

As for the portable hanger alignment tool....Yeah, you could make money selling it for less....but why would you do that? This is MTB! We have $30 inner tubes, $120 foam strips, and $3,000 wheels that we openly acknowledge are more likely to break than their $200 competition. Way I see it is that although it's not as durable, it's portable, so if someone is willing to pay $50 for the X-Tools alignment gauge, then why not get the portable version?
'

I grew up beyond dirt poor, so I guess when I think about pricing I'm always thinking of how to make something as affordable as possible while still turning enough profit to stay alive. I'm good at fixing/building/inventing, but I totally suck at capitalism Wink

In thinking more about the presta nut problem I think I may actually have thought of a solution of sorts: A tiny strap wrench would work with most presta nuts. A lot of smaller 3d printers use a reinforced rubber belt with teeth called a GT2 belt. GT2 belt material is cheap and available online in complete belts and in bulk. A piece of that attached to a small handle of some sort would probably work great. Get 2 or 3 wraps around the nut with the belt and then just pull on the handle like you would any large strap wrench... I may fiddle one together just to test the idea and see if it works. FWIW, anyone else who reads this can feel free to steal the idea and produce it or improve on it as they see fit. I have enough crazy schemes in progress right now!
flag fielonator
Posted: Jun 16, 2018 at 5:42 Quote
A suspension / shock absobing bottle cage, so you can carry a post ride beer without it getting shaken up. An insulated one would be even better. I'd expect to pay no more than £10 and would like it to come with a beer included.

For £20 I'd want one that used power generated from breaking forces to refrigerate my beverage during my ride.

Both need to fit at least two 330ml cans, or a 1l bottle.

And a handlebar mounted bottle opener. This will come free with either version of the beer cage.
flag adespotoskyli
Posted: Jun 16, 2018 at 6:52 Quote
Or get rid of the presta alltogether and go with what the rest of the industry use. Schrader valves also fit without nuts to be secured, don't break as easy and are easier to use. Why did we still use the damn presta again?!
flag adespotoskyli
Posted: Jun 16, 2018 at 7:02 Quote
Also caliper alighnment is affected by other factors as caliper design, manufacturing presision, mounting hardware, pads quality, bracket and mounting stiffness etc.
I tried countless times to align brake calipers but even when perfectly aligned after some hard braking they tend to drag as pistons don't retract the same with use and dirt gathering around them. Now I stoped caring. As long as the pads are worn close to equal I don't care what tunes they play! Smile Razz
flag redsled137
Posted: Jun 16, 2018 at 7:40 Quote
johndalton777 wrote:
Hello my name is John and I am a entrepreneur that likes to ride mountain bikes and i want to build mountain bike products if you have any idea please let me know. thanks

Bike frames and forks for 26" wheels.
flag nmuskier
O+
Posted: Jun 16, 2018 at 20:19 Quote
Tubeless presta valves suck. They leak, blow their seal when you move them around with a mini pump. Give me a good self sealing valve stem.

There are a hundred leg and arm pads, but I think that market always has room for well priced quality product.
flag no-good-ideas
O+ FL
Posted: Jun 16, 2018 at 22:22 Quote
RunsWithScissors wrote:
I work in the bike industry

I don't.
flag RunsWithScissors
Posted: Jun 17, 2018 at 6:15 Quote
pcledrew wrote:
RunsWithScissors wrote:
I work in the bike industry

I don't.

You do however have internet access, but hey, if it makes you feel good to think you have few options, don't let me stop you. Think whatever you like Smile
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