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A lever for patents

A bike enthusiast wants to market a car bike rack. That's not so crazy. But that it had to be radically different and better than all the models already in existence and patented, that is. 

Not to worry, we can handle that.

Every adventure begins
with pushing boundaries.

Bike racks for your car already existed. But look, candles also existed and yet we liked the light bulb better. So anything can be better. The added difficulty with this case was that we did not want to use any of the existing patents - a challenge that ultimately turned out to be a triumph. Because creatively navigating between obstacles and pushing boundaries leads to the most innovative and inventive solutions. 

Ready.. set.. go.

01 / Het speelveld bepalen
Een grondige exploratie en marktanalyse moest ons vertellen wat er beter kon. Elk drager hebben we geïnspecteerd, we liepen de deur plat van menig fietsenwinkel en verzamelden een bom aan informatie. De conclusie: er was ruimte om te verbeteren, er was ruimte om te vernieuwen.
02 / Gebruiksgemak voorop
Het product zelf moest vooral ergonomischer zijn en de montage minder spierkracht vragen. En alsof deze 2 eisen nog niet voldoende waren moest het mogelijk zijn de koffer nog steeds te openen na bevestiging
03 / Ergonomie moet je testen & voelen
Er waren veel verschillende materialen, mechanische oplossingen en subsystemen mogelijk. We hebben ze allemaal bedacht, getest en gevalideerd. Resultaat: een doorlooptijd van meer dan twee jaar waarbij het ook al eens stevig bergop ging.
04 / En de gele trui gaat naar...
Gelukkige bracht de eindmeet — waarbij we de productieopvolging nog mee voor onze rekening namen — een felbegeerde podiumplaats. En daarvan zijn onze awards het levende bewijs.
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One movement,
two functions.

The strength of the Cykell bike rack lies mainly in its lever system. When you unfold the rack, it suddenly clamps itself in place. Because of that lever, less force and no separate action is needed to secure the rack. One motion, two functions. This lever was patented by Cykell, as was the arm that holds the bike frame. We thought out this mechanical marvel even before we started the design.

 

Our designers were able to prove themselves in the search for the right look and feel as well as the lighting. After research, we opted for existing lighting, but the way it integrates with the rack means that the bike can also be placed on top of the light, saving quite a bit of space. The bikes can also be placed at an angle, making it even more compact. 

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730 days
and 100 parts.

From a vague idea to marketing a new product, sometimes it takes time. Pilipili took care of the market analysis, the design, the technology, the supplier who could bend, weld and paint, the assembly, the testing, the packaging and even the design of the manual. In the end, Cykell is made up of hundreds of parts that all work together smartly, passed all inspections smoothly and met the tough standards. 

Innovation is often in the grandeur of the details.

"On this project, we could fully indulge ourselves."

From micro to macro. From testing a hundred screws until you find the right one, to traveling the world in search of the right match with a supplier. A solid strength calculation or subjecting yet another prototype to rigorous user testing. The hard work paid off and the overall picture is right. We are quite proud of that.

Kurt Deleersnyder

Senior CAD Designer

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