It's frustrating. Watching Interbike coverage makes it more so. This year, it's triply frustrating because a lot of projects I always wanted to work on have come to fruition through other avenues.
Already wrote about some of them. The most glaring example: 1x.
I long advocated for 1x, arguing with executives in the industry years ago, and losing at the time; I'd love to revisit those meetings this year. Some of those same companies now make the bulk of their money on 1x setups or accessories.
I long advocated for 1x, arguing with executives in the industry years ago, and losing at the time; I'd love to revisit those meetings this year. Some of those same companies now make the bulk of their money on 1x setups or accessories.
Road-specific 1x systems were an even tougher sell. Now there's still debate, but it's much more widely predicted to explode, both as OEM (This is one of my favorites, no longer the only one, and if you click on it you'll notice a big SOLD OUT banner, makes me smile) and aftermarket, and is more and more present in pro peletons.
Yesterday was a new low: one of my first bike ideas, a project I have drawings from 1997 talking about, a project I tried and failed to make once, a project for which I have the material right now underneath my guest bed waiting for a mellow winter week to work on, it came out finally. It's the pack vest.
MTB packs suck because they take all your stuff and hide it in a big space you're always digging around in, and on the bike it sits like a big hot spot pressing down on your back and dragging in the wind. It makes much more sense to do a few things:
* Break up the big pocket into several small ones; all mtbers carry the same general stuff, so you need the same general pocket setups
* Take the new small pockets and spread them out. Half the weight should be in front, close to your chest, so that in the biking position it pulls away, letting wind in, instead of pressing down
* Take the new dispersed load, and hang it onto a frame that is more mesh vest than backpacking frame
This new product from RaceFace does that exact same thing. This one is tough to take. Even before my derailleur ideas, I pitched this to a few people who I thought could help me. No go. Now it looks set to explode. I've even seen similar ideas at the TDF and other pro road races this year as a method for porteurs to carry water to the team leaders.
How about my music idea? This was the idea that we took to lawyers, and I even started work with some free help (SBA etc) on a business plan. Basically: a bluetooth speaker for MTBers. Music biking rocks. It's so awesome. I can hardly bike without it now that I've started. But my phone speakers are not quite loud enough. Headphones suck. They are straight up dangerous on a bike.
Solution: some lightweight but strong and powerful bluetooth speakers, mountable on the top tube, the handlebars, and on your chest strap.
Well, I was seriously far into the business planning when I saw this guy (Boombotix) on Kickstarter at first, and now as a full-fledged brand. Arrgh. Looking at my drawings, done well before I found Boombotix, it's effing crazy how similar they are. Even the cartoonish logo, which features a character hiding behind something, the color schemes, everything. The design. The whole vibe of the website. It's like we were in the same room when coming up with these ideas.
Oh well. I still have a few ideas up my sleeve.
Unfortunately, they overlap much more directly with my patents, so I really need to wait a few years at least.
In the meantime, I don't know whether to hope that my ideas come out, like these have, so that I can buy them and use them, or hope that nobody comes up with them and I still have the chance.
Either way, it's out of my control for now.
Arrgh.
MTB packs suck because they take all your stuff and hide it in a big space you're always digging around in, and on the bike it sits like a big hot spot pressing down on your back and dragging in the wind. It makes much more sense to do a few things:
* Break up the big pocket into several small ones; all mtbers carry the same general stuff, so you need the same general pocket setups
* Take the new small pockets and spread them out. Half the weight should be in front, close to your chest, so that in the biking position it pulls away, letting wind in, instead of pressing down
* Take the new dispersed load, and hang it onto a frame that is more mesh vest than backpacking frame
 |
| Thx Pinkbike for the foto. Mike Kazimer I think. |
How about my music idea? This was the idea that we took to lawyers, and I even started work with some free help (SBA etc) on a business plan. Basically: a bluetooth speaker for MTBers. Music biking rocks. It's so awesome. I can hardly bike without it now that I've started. But my phone speakers are not quite loud enough. Headphones suck. They are straight up dangerous on a bike.
Solution: some lightweight but strong and powerful bluetooth speakers, mountable on the top tube, the handlebars, and on your chest strap.
Well, I was seriously far into the business planning when I saw this guy (Boombotix) on Kickstarter at first, and now as a full-fledged brand. Arrgh. Looking at my drawings, done well before I found Boombotix, it's effing crazy how similar they are. Even the cartoonish logo, which features a character hiding behind something, the color schemes, everything. The design. The whole vibe of the website. It's like we were in the same room when coming up with these ideas.
Oh well. I still have a few ideas up my sleeve.
Unfortunately, they overlap much more directly with my patents, so I really need to wait a few years at least.
In the meantime, I don't know whether to hope that my ideas come out, like these have, so that I can buy them and use them, or hope that nobody comes up with them and I still have the chance.
Either way, it's out of my control for now.
Arrgh.