[Closed] New cycling start-up.

1x Gravel mullets running GX rear and 10-52 cassettes for me.

Basically very few production bikes look worthwhile without a total refit. High end BMC’s seem to go this way at £££

1x Gravel mullets running GX rear

GX? No thanks

Anyway you can easily mullet 1x GRX, a much more reliable and less ugly solution
(Running 40t 11-51 & 38t 11-42)

So you want our ideas for your new company?
How will we be remunerated for lending you our genius?

Is there anything that folks who enjoy this side of cycling would like to see more or less of?

I would like to see less gravel/adventure brands

I would like to see less gravel/adventure brands

Fewer.

😉

More hipster shite please.

Oh and loads of aspirational bollocks plastered over the product.

Well you've picked exactly the wrong time to do this. If Giant etc can't get enough components to get bikes on the shop floor, then you have no chance.

Eta on many groupsets now is autumn 22.

Dangle mugs.

The world needs no more.

So you want our ideas for your new company?

How will we be remunerated for lending you our genius?

Kinda this. I want to make £1million - anyone tell me how?

Anyway, short-legged riding trousers please.

Gravel Apparel - you can charge more than just calling it 'clothing'

How about aluminium rims with carbon brake tracks for use with discs?

Or square profile tyres for newbies who worry about losing their balance?

Something to hold a bag of chips on the stem / top tube or handlebar.
Maybe a deluxe model that keeps the chips warm via a dynamo or plutonium.
Extra points for condiment attachments.

Aluminium adventure panniers.  These could be big (literally), you may need to persuade Ewan McGregor to cycle around with some for a bit

Use the chain drive to power an artisan coffee grinder so every rest stop can enjoy some fresh ground hipster coffee.

Similar to the coffee idea but your out put powers a mini gin distillery?

Would probably need matching chore coat riding apparel too.

Handle bar mounted "out front" bracket for Wacker Plate fitment. For when the gravel gets too gnarly.

Fewer.

I was asked what I wanted to see more or less of, hence the use of less.

Fewer of your pedantry please.

Bike packable beard care products

Mini hydro electric turbine to charge your e gravel bike from the stream your bivvying next to

Gravel specific flip flops that compliment the afore mentioned hanging mugs 👌🏼

Ethical bikes.

- No parts from countries with iffy human rights records
- No parts that cannot be recycled
- Everything made from recycled parts where possible
- 10% of the sale price goes to that bike charity that was on here (or some other charity)
- No one paid on minimum wage

Of course, the price will be stratospheric. You might need to do some quite careful market research to find your target market.

I think you could do well as to look at bombtrack bikes for inspiration. It is a crowded market place imo but others have made it work so reason you can't. It will be largely a marketing exercise so I think you need to try to identify a brand persona that you wish your customers to appeal to.

Eta on many groupsets now is autumn 22.spring 23

FIFU

A sense of humour you say?

I would start by looking up the history of Sick bikes - there's a good thread around here somewhere. If you follow their blueprint success is almost guaranteed.

Seriously, if you're going to do it then make proper gravel bikes, not road bikes with slightly bigger tyres: Huge tyre clearance for 700c wheels; wide flared bars with a shallow drop; plenty of attachment points; 1x12. I'd do s flat barred version as well, that seems to be something people want.

Anyone have a link to that Sick Bikes thread? I like to see it revived every now and then.

I’d like a small vase that attaches to my stem for putting in the nice flowers that I pick when riding

Oldnpastit - even with a lot of prior experience, Islabikes tried and struggled with the ethical fully reusable / recyclable bikes thing. I really doubt the op would have a hope in hell.

So op, what exactly is your "design" experience? That would give us a better idea of what could be suggested.

How about technical riding shirts with collars and buttons in a technical fabric, longer back and paisley pattern?

I think OP has already run off with your ideas and has disappeared to cash in. Click on the account and it goes to the home page.

"Can't think of anything better than dedicating our combined efforts back to cycling"

Why? To try and make money or to do some good for others?

Maybe think harder about what your combined efforts could actually achieve without restricting yourselves to an already overfilled niche. Maybe.

But if you insist... I want a better method of attaching a bar bag to bikes where the cables come out through the front of the headtube* ie. Santa Cruz. Traditional methods crush the cables.

*Actually, I've already invented and made a simple device, but I'm interested to see what proper talent could come up with!

We want to make things that people need and keep waste to a minimum

Shame your profile doesn't go anywhere, maybe just a glitch on here. There's a few brand-product opportunities I can see and it's always interesting to talk to people who want to create something. PM maybe or I'm James Olsen on linkedin. I work in the bike industry but currently e-bikes only so no trad bikes or P+A conflicts of interest.

I think you could do well as to look at bombtrack bikes for inspiration.

There's a big company behind what looks like a small brand there but I agree they do the influencer marketing thing well, if that's the way someone wanted to go.

I want a better method of attaching a bar bag to bikes where the cables come out through the front of the headtube* ie. Santa Cruz. Traditional methods crush the cables.

*Actually, I’ve already invented and made a simple device, but I’m interested to see what proper talent could come up with!

Certainly an area needing improvement. I made something similar for my own bikes, but you'd need more than this to make a brand/business.

To try and make money or to do some good for others?

Not impossible to do both?

If Giant etc can’t get enough components to get bikes on the shop floor, then you have no chance.

Depends what you make and where it's made? Bad time to start an imported mass-market complete bike business in many ways but if you plan well and know your lead times, start small, have a clear direction into the right market - like many things it's probably better to start now than keep putting it off.

Design a really cool bike, cover it in bling and sell it at a ridiculous price which no one will buy. Say really out there comments and get the media to buy into your product and plaster it all over their mags.

Then sell t shirts and socks. You won't need any bike components. Maybe some tweed with gortex?

Want GX for gravel so I only have to maintain 1x group between gravel and mountain bikes.

1 spare cassette / chain / mech in the garage for whichever does first over 2x bikes. PITA maintaining too many different types for minimal goals.

You can make a small fortune with a niche bike brand.

As long as you start with a ...

What's happened to the op?

Account seems to have been deleted.

Sub £500 single speed frames. Aluminium. Gravel, mtb, cx, etc. There's not many to choose from. I gave up looking for a dedicated SS frame as I didn't want steel and needed something small.

Given the way that the bike industry has switched en masse to disc for road, I think we have reached the point where you could clean up selling rim brake road bikes with the right marketing.

Whatever it is I'm more interested in good design, manufacture and value than humour.

Perhaps selling bags of different types of gravel to practice on? Some could be infused with essential oils or coffee aroma that releases at different strengths according to the speed it’s ridden over?

Perhaps selling bags of different types of gravel to practice on? Some could be infused with essential oils or coffee aroma that releases at different strengths according to the speed it’s ridden over?

Or a tent made from spent grinds, then you could literally wake up and smell the coffee!

The tent fabric could perhaps be engineered to release a nice smoky Whisky aroma as night falls?

Face recognition software to ensure that your moustache isn’t wider than your bars (safety critical).

What would be really nice are ‘normal’ clothes with a few adaptations for riding bikes - eg. T-shirts with a dropped back hem, or jeans with a button strap at the right ankle (I think someone makes these but they’re ruinously expensive).

If someone did some “This machine stops climate change” t-shirts that would be good…

Ignore all that crap up there.....

What some of us would like is a decent range of 26" tyres (tubeless compatible, please).

What would be really nice are ‘normal’ clothes with a few adaptations for riding bikes – eg. T-shirts with a dropped back hem, or jeans with a button strap at the right ankle (I think someone makes these but they’re ruinously expensive).

Good idea, I'd like some skinny jeans with a reinforced backside please, just below the back pockets. Skinnies are brill for riding in, they're stretchy and cheap from charity shops but I've worn through a few pairs of regular jeans there, just through use on the bike, and if you repair or patch them there they end up being uncomfortable on the bike. No sweat shop labour please and made as locally to you as possible. I am happy to pay for nice things that last a good while but do not take the piss, I'm not putting your kid through private school or paying for your ****ty car.

If someone did some “This machine stops climate change” t-shirts that would be good…

Printed on [i]new[/i] garments I assume? Oh, the ironing 😉

My other ‘great’ idea is a modern butcher’s bike - normal wheelbase(ish) with a 16” front wheel and a carrier, disc/roller brakes and a hub gear.

PedalMe do great demonstrations of what can be moved with Urban Arrow cargo bikes but I bet there’s an awful lot that could be done with something smaller/handier (and I bet there’s a huge amount of slop in the steering linkage on a cargo bike?)

No parts from countries with iffy human rights records

Pretty much removes most of the countries in existence from your possible list of parts / materials suppliers, all depending on just how far back you want to take those records of course 🤔😉

f someone did some “This machine stops climate change” t-shirts that would be good…

Really, how does the mass production of steel, aluminium and carbon stop climate change?

Maybe a slightly more realistic "this machine minimises the CO2 output from your ICE / hybrid vehicle when you ride it to the shops"

On a serious note I'd like to see more bike stuff made from recycled plastics from our rivers and oceans

https://theoceancleanup.com/updates/turning-trash-into-treasure-the-ocean-cleanup-sunglasses/

Lots of plastic in bikes from sunglasses, tops of helmets, mudguards, bits of components etc packaging. Lots more could be done and I'm sure there's a market for it as you know your money is used to clean up the oceans and rivers.

Carbon frames and forks are very lovely but I don't see many of them being recycled, I just see them being dumped in landfill or in the sea.

But I doubt it would be economical to do. Manufacturers need to be taxed when things are made so that money can be used to reuse and recycle but that's a long way off.

I really like the stuff made from old bike tyres and inner tubes but I only need one wallet and one bag. Would love to see some up cycled pannier bags from our waste or just a company that sorts out our waste from cycling.