2005-01-26|Big Idea Group (BIG): Bell Sports Idea Hunt
BikeStick™
A Bicycle Stick for Saving a Trainer's Back
Detailed Description
Training a child to ride a bicycle is very exciting for his/her parents. The experience of riding a bicycle without training wheels for the first time makes an unforgettable memory. However, the parent's job of holding the child's bicycle and running at the same time causes an extreme pain in the back due to the awkward posture that is required. The exercise may even cause a back injury for the parent.
I happened to have a broken snow shovel. I put the stick into a slot near the rear wheel, and the training turned into a great joy without any pain in the back whatsoever.
For a rough idea of scale of the BikeStick™, here are the dimensions of the prototype.
height: 990 mm (39")
width: 30 mm (1-1/4")
weight: 500 g (1.1 lb)
The prototype BikeStick™ comprises a wooden stick and a plastic handle. However, the BikeStick™ could be made all-plastic construction, and be moulded in one piece.
The fit between the BikeStick™ and the bicycle is relatively secure because of the downward gravitational force, but the tip of the BikeStick™ could be reshaped in order to fit more tightly into the slot near the rear wheel of the children's bicycle.
As for compatibility, I was able to fit the prototype BikeStick™ on all of the children's bicycles sold at a local Wal-Mart store.
The BikeStick™ should retail in the $10 USD range.
