Dear unicyclists, my name is Grace Fetzer, I am a third year Product Design student. I am currently working on creating a storage solution for the urban unicyclist. Here are some of the factors that I am considering:
-Available space
-Number of unicycles
-Storage for unicycle maintenance tools/accessories
-Protecting flooring from dirt/water that is tracked in
Any feedback would be very helpful. Thanks!
As little as possible
Modular expandable, basic module: 1, additional modules for every wheelsize (18"-20", 20"-29", 32"-36")
Optional or as part of the basic module
not necessarily. who needs can put floor mats under it
another question to consider:
storage orientation (standing, lying, hanging, upright, upside down, …)
I guess your drawing board is blank, and you are asking for our requirements.
I use a wall mounted curtain pole hook in the garage (minus the curtain pole)
The uni is stored hanging from a rope loop, or hooked onto the handle at the front of the saddle.
Available space - lots of it on the wall
Number of unicycles - more cycles = more hooks
Storage for unicycle maintenance tools/accessories - already in the garage
Protecting flooring from dirt/water that is tracked in - not bothered
Simple
Just some thinking out loud… take it or leave it.
Thought 1: Since you said “urban unicyclist,” I picture portability integrated into your storage solution. Maybe some sort of backpack that can fit a 20"? Or are you more concerned about fixed, at-home storage?
Typically, if I’m riding a 20" and I go into a store or other place where I shouldn’t actually ride on the floor, I just carry my unicycle in one hand as opposed to leaving it outside. But sometimes I’d rather have the thing on my back.
A problem faced by the inherent design of unicycles is that they’re hard to lock up in a standard bike rack. You can run a cable through the wheel, but that’s not ideal; there’s no frame triangle that can be secured like a bicycle. Having it on your back would be a decent idea and would also make shipping, taking into an airport, etc, easier.
Thought 2: What about a unicycle specifically designed for maximizing storage space? In China, a big trend is foldable bicycles - ride em to work, fold them in half, and store them somewhere. I can picture the same type of concept applied to unicycles, somehow. You’d need a quickly retractable seatpost (telescoping?) and inwardly-folding pedals and you’d have something just slightly bigger than the wheel itself (hard to break it down any further at that point). Combine that with the backpack idea, perhaps, and you’d have something fairly portable and easily stored.
Of course, this wouldn’t work very well with a large sized unicycle like a 36", but 20"s are the most common option and thus probably your target market. You could even design a whole product out of a collapsible 20" with a streamlined backpack carrying system.
Or maybe I’m just drunk and don’t realize it.
Thanks
Thanks everyone for all of the helpful feedback! If you have anymore ideas feel free to email me at grace.fetzer@gmail.com