I sometimes sound like a real cranky bastard, well i am a cranky bastard. Today however a smile did come to my face (people were shocked and wondered what that expression on my face was). I was sitting in a little shop close to our primary bike path haveing a pretty decent coffee and girl watching when lo and behold I see something I havent seen in 10 years. I smiled as a young lass (20ish) came gliding buy towing a little one in a bike trailor i had designed (and won some awards on ) back in 91. I got up and jogged up to her and asked her where she got it. She said, “oh my parents had it for us kids and i used to ride in it, now I have it for my kids.”. The thing looked a bit worn, but all the bits were there, suspension still worked the top still fit and her kid looked happy. I thanked her and went and sat back down happy that something i designed was still providing service 16 years later and a bit bummed that she had called me “sir”…age sucks but the alterntive is far worse.
congrats, i am really hoping to have a few of those moments as the years go by.
I have to know, did you tell her you designed it, or were you simply a man faining interest in her trailor? I am always surprised how different designers handle these scenarios.
Naw, should have maybe but most people think when you say “designed” you designed the logo or sumpthing. If she has been 30…welll might have tried to impress her with that fact
Ya it is, too bad the company mfg’ing them went under, was a small startup and undercapitalised. You do see a lot of its features in the current stuff, whats that old saying about emulation and flattery?
remember this thing was designed in 91, so it might appear a bit dated. The body was blow moleded uhmwpe and the fenders of vac formed abs. The wheels quick released off and stowed in the body as did the roof frame. There was a bug scree, and a rain fly too so the kid was well protected from the weather. There were clips on the back to hang a sports bag/diaper bag etc and the tow hitch quick released from the unit allowing you to use it as a stroller. the suspension was adjustable to accomidate different loads from 1 baby to two 4 year olds. The racing stroller option kit just plugged in with out tools giving it some more useablity.
that’s awesome old school nasa style. love it! nice work. great job making use of low volume production methods (i.e vac forming) and keeping a consistent aesthetic that doesn’t look like a low end batch job.
My first thought is if you would restyle the wheels, it would really sell very well. Very sporty ! Reminds me of the golf course too. It also looks like you could do a mini bike right at the back. Cycling right behind your baby looks like a cute idea on a Sunday morning. Just a simple thought.
Huh? I guess its more of a “been there done that” sort of thing, it was and still is the best bike trailor for hauling kids and such, so for me to re visit it would require a MFG to ask me to. Its a small market and like the stroller market pretty much the domain of a few companies that are very happy building the same thing they have for decades.
