bike research project

Joined
Feb 3, 2017
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Location
australia
I am conducting research for a University project on bikes/ riding and I'd really appreciate it if bike builders/ AZ members could make comments to make this an online focus group. It might be enjoyable and interesting for you too.
Any comments small or detailed on 1 or many questions below are encouraged, and discussion and replying to each other as normal. Assume bike/bicycle means tricycles, quads, electric assist, anything with pedals and wheels. If something has been discussed to death or said best already on this forum let me know and i can try to find it. If you have any questions for me, please ask.

[EDIT by AZ]
Please answer here in this thread. External Link removed.

1-Why bikes? How do you explain your interest in bikes?
2-Do you ride for transport, enjoyment or fitness or another reason? Or all 3+ in varying percentages?
3-Where and how do you use your bike/s? Use rarely, sometimes, often?
4-What have you made? What is the focus when deciding your custom bike build/s? Do you want more enjoyable bike riding, more comfort, cheaper, more proudly unique bike, just curious experimentation, for the build challenge-not for riding, other?
5-Do we know which AZ design plans are most popular?
6-Reactions. When friends or strangers see you have a custom/non-upright bike are they keen to try to ride it themselves? Or sort of scared to ride? Think you are crazy? Curious? What kind of comments do you get? Any negative!?
8-Do you think the upright diamond frame bike deserves its popularity? Is there an obvious better option? for all situations or common/casual uses?
 
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Joined
Feb 7, 2008
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Location
Nottinghamshire England
Hi there

Your link gives this :-

You need permission

Want in? Ask for access, or switch to an account with permission.


Do you not want some personal details to put the answers into context ?

age ?
gender ?
occupational status ?
country ?

regards Paul
 
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Radical Brad

Garage Hacker!
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Mar 13, 1999
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Kakabeka Falls, Ontario, Canada
Note... I removed the external links. I have no problem with the poll, but I would advice against posting any personal details here or on any other site.
My full time day job is in computer security (breaches, cyber attacks, lost data), and sadly.... business is good.

Having said that, I will participate....

1-Why bikes? How do you explain your interest in bikes?
I actually never planned to build or document any form of bike or trike. I started as a diversion from my computer networking job, and my wife (KoolKat) suggested I put some of my builds up on the web for fun. AZ was born! It was 1998.

2-Do you ride for transport, enjoyment or fitness or another reason? Or all 3+ in varying percentages?
When I had the chance to ride, it was all three for sure!

3-Where and how do you use your bike/s? Use rarely, sometimes, often?
Up until 2010, every day. Now I do not own a bike or have any place to ride.

4-What have you made? What is the focus when deciding your custom bike build/s? Do you want more enjoyable bike riding, more comfort, cheaper, more proudly unique bike, just curious experimentation, for the build challenge-not for riding, other?

Every bike and trike on this site! If I ever do another bike, it will probably be a SkyWalker TallBike redo. Theat was my fave of all time.

5-Do we know which AZ design plans are most popular?
There has always been trends. Here they are....
2000-2009 : OverKill
2020-2020 : Warrior
2020 : Now : PortaPen / YardMule
The PortaPen is now 40 times more popular than all other bikes and trikes combined. The largest trend I have seen since starting in 1998!

6-Reactions. When friends or strangers see you have a custom/non-upright bike are they keen to try to ride it themselves? Or sort of scared to ride? Think you are crazy? Curious? What kind of comments do you get? Any negative!?
All comments have been exceptionally positive with the exception of one police officer that bullied us one day on the street.

8-Do you think the upright diamond frame bike deserves its popularity? Is there an obvious better option? for all situations or common/casual uses?

The diamond frame is simple, easy to make, and easy to master. Recumbent bikes are more of the "sports car" to the bike world. I think a simple design like the Meridian could compete with the diamond frame, but the world typically does not like change!

Brad
 
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Joined
Feb 3, 2017
Messages
102
Location
australia
Your link gives this :- You need permission
Want in? Ask for access, or switch to an account with permission
Do you not want some personal details to put the answers into context ?
age ? gender ? occupational status ? country ?
The link was basically a letter from my university stating this was 'official research'. Not really relevant, just something they asked me to show people.
For these particular questions, I've decided age,country,etc. is not important. I have other research with context.
 
Joined
Feb 7, 2008
Messages
4,572
Location
Nottinghamshire England
I am conducting research for a University project on bikes/ riding and I'd really appreciate it if bike builders/ AZ members could make comments to make this an online focus group. It might be enjoyable and interesting for you too.
Any comments small or detailed on 1 or many questions below are encouraged, and discussion and replying to each other as normal. Assume bike/bicycle means tricycles, quads, electric assist, anything with pedals and wheels. If something has been discussed to death or said best already on this forum let me know and i can try to find it. If you have any questions for me, please ask.

1-Why bikes? How do you explain your interest in bikes?
Question 2 answers that

2-Do you ride for transport, enjoyment or fitness or another reason? Or all 3+ in varying percentages?
Shopping and fitness and I almost always enjoy it ! I cycle camp for 2 weeks a year in Holland been 5 times now always riding a trike.

3-Where and how do you use your bike/s? Use rarely, sometimes, often?
3 times a week visit elderly parents so social and exercise
1 a week shopping
1 a week a ride just for me to a cafe stop [ no longer possible 😢 ]
possibly I ride a lot ...

4-What have you made? What is the focus when deciding your custom bike build/s? Do you want more enjoyable bike riding, more comfort, cheaper, more proudly unique bike, just curious experimentation, for the build challenge-not for riding, other?
I usually have a novelty bike or 2 so chopper - Velocino - tall bike etc
I have a Python trike - for most Question 3 trips
I have a couple of [ almost ] conventional bikes a Dursley Pedersen & a 1955 Hopper double top tube [ my year of birth ]
I have a trike built to investigate suspension and tilting etc
I have a couple of commercial recumbent frames to build up [ because they were cheap ! ]

I generally make bikes/trikes you cannot purchase , as most recumbent bikes/trikes can be picked up s/h for around £300 it is not worth copying a commercial offering in my opinion

5-Do we know which AZ design plans are most popular?
I have both Brads books and most of his plans , however I am yet to build one ! however my stuff is built in his style i.e recycle as much as possible , simple tools DIY

6-Reactions. When friends or strangers see you have a custom/non-upright bike are they keen to try to ride it themselves? Or sort of scared to ride? Think you are crazy? Curious? What kind of comments do you get? Any negative!?
Because of riding recumbent's I tend to have friends with recumbent's they are always keen to try something new/novel
Strangers mostly refuse to ride them , one because someone may video her and she may fall off ? so sad.
I have a standard 2 wheel recumbent and a chopper 2 separate youths on unicycles ! did not want to ride them they thought they looked hard to ride !

8-Do you think the upright diamond frame bike deserves its popularity? Is there an obvious better option? for all situations or common/casual uses?
As a general rule all DF bikes ride very similar and are very easy to ride in so much as when you can ride one you can ride them all
As a general rule recumbent's are ALL different and being able to ride one does not guarantee you can ride any other , Pythons & Flevo bikes & low racers have a very steep learning curve and most riders give in before mastering them ?
 
Joined
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Location
South Benfleet, Essex, England, UK
  1. Why Bikes? - Originally, seeking a return to some level of fitness & fulfilling a childhood dream of owning a Moulton; was going really well until a hip joint failed.
  2. Transport, Enjoyment, Fitness or Other? - All of these.
  3. Where & How often? - Not often enough, mainly on Sunny, dry days. A couple of wonderful trips to the cycling paradise that is Holland.
  4. What have I made? - Some real horrors including...A few (3) tadpoles, and a delta trike. 1 trike was totally AZ plan all others adaptations/self-builds.
  5. AZ Design popularity? - No idea. Warrior seems to grab people's attention, but I never liked it much personally.
  6. Reactions - Only positive reactions, self-build means "bragging-rights" people are usually amazed that home-build is even possible.
  7. Q7 Went AWOL.
  8. Does the DF deserve its popularity? - YES! In much of the world the DF provides a robust workhorse transport mechanism, often overloaded to insane levels.
Hope this helps.
 
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Joined
Feb 3, 2017
Messages
102
Location
australia
Thanks again for all of you that contributed here. It was personally interesting for me and helpful for my research document.
As an update if curious, I will hopefully be designing and building a bike in the next few months as part of my university thesis (but it's unlikely there will be time to build a full bike). The research/my interest leads me toward the possibility of a single trike that could convert between somewhat upright and somewhat recumbent. I haven't seen much like this before... and it may be depressing to find it does already exist, so if it does.. maybe don't tell me 😬. Otherwise maybe a bike taxi? or something enjoyable for very amateur unconfident riders to ride. It's obviously not clear yet but the upright/recumbent-hybrid is top of the list currently.
suggestions and comments are still welcome here, but i won't be more doing research in this way i don't think.
 
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