Electric Bicycle Seatpost

Scott Marino¹, Philippe Kabenla¹, Chris Grey¹ and Sam Herens^1,

¹Doctor Salman, United States

Cite this paper:
Scott Marino, Philippe Kabenla, Chris Grey and Sam Herens. Electric Bicycle Seatpost. American Journal of Mechanical Engineering. 2018; 6(1):6-16. doi: 10.12691/ajme-6-1-2

Abstract

A bicycle seat is supposed to be designed for the safety and comfort of the rider. A rider may rest by sitting on the seat during longer, harder rides or simply to relax on a leisurely ride through the park. However, the height of the seat can determine how much safety and comfort are actually provided to the rider. A seat that is too high or too low can affect the ability of the rider to operate the bike safely as well as cause undue stress on the rider’s joints. There is a need for an effective and efficient way of adjusting the seat height on a bicycle. A simple push button system that can raise and lower the seat at will would allow riders to adjust their seat to meet their individual height and riding style needs. This can be accomplished by implanting a motor inside the seatpost of a bike that will raise and lower the post through a series of turning gears. A control system mounted to the handlebars would allow riders to adjust their seat on the fly, negating the need to dismount and physically struggle with tools to manually adjust the seat thus increasing the amount of enjoyment the rider gets from their outing. Through easy adjustment of the seat, more riders would adjust their seats regularly and be able to ride in the proper seat position. This in turn would increase rider safety and reduce the number of cycling related joint injuries.

Keywords:
worm gear worm screw worm shaft bicycle seatpost

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

References:

[1]	“Walking and Cycling as Transport Modes – Mobility and Transport – European Commission.” Mobility and Transport, European Commission, https://ec.europa.eu/transport/road_safety/specialist/knowledge/pedestrians/pedestrians_and_cyclists_ unprotected_road_users/walking_and_cy cling_as_transport_modes_en.
[2]	Danielle Wilkinson and Subhiksha Raman. “Bike Rental Program Launches with Success and Popularity.” Purdue Exponent, 27 Aug. 2015, http://www.purdueexponent.org/campus/article_ef1593da-cb2f-528b-b39 b-0fb535ea011c.html.
[3]	Alter, Lloyd. “How Much Does It Cost To Commute By Bike?” TreeHugger, Treehugger, 12 Sept. 2017, https://www.treehugger.com/bikes/how-much-does-it-cost-to-commute-b y-bike.html.
[4]	“Saddle Height: How To Get It Right and Why It’s So Important.” Cycling Weekly, 2 Oct. 2017, http://www.cyclingweekly.com/fitness/saddle-height-why-you-need-to-get-it-right-25379.
[5]	Gordon, Leland. “The Benefits of Cycling Machines.” livestrong.com, Leaf Group, 11 Sept. 2017, http://www.livestrong.com/article/506518-the-benefits-of-cycling-machine s/.
[6]	Jenkins, Steve. “Stevejenkins.com.” Stevejenkins.com, Steve Jenkins, 13 Oct. 2014, https://www.stevejenkins.com/blog/2013/08/sea-doo-vts-not-working-fix- or-replace-the-vts-motor-cheap/.
[7]	“Miniature High Torque DC Motors.” Miniature High Torque DC Motors, http://www.moog.com/products/motors-servomotors/brush-motors/miniat ure-high-torque-dc-motors.html.
[8]	Brahmbhatt, Vivek. “How Do I Calculate the Electric Power Required to Lift 100 Kg of Material?” Quora Digest, 3 Apr. 2015, https://www.quora.com/How-do-I-calculate-the-electric-power-required-to-lift-100-kg-of-material.
[9]	“Find Torque To Lift 100kg F=Ma.” PhysicsForum, 25 Oct. 2010, https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/find-torque-to-lift-100kg-f-ma.44 1435/5/.
[10]	WEN Technology – Calculators, 2002, http://www.wentec.com/unipower/calculators/power_torque.asp.
[11]	“Calculate the Minimum Motor Power Required to Lift a Human?” Engineering Stack Exchange, 7 Nov. 2016, https://engineering.stackexchange.com/questions/12196/calculate-the-m inimum-motor-power-required-to-lift-a-human.
[12]	Felton, Vernon, and Aaron Gulley. “Want to Motorize Your Bike? Here Are Your Options.” Outside Online, 16 Nov. 2016, www.outsideonline.com/2100786/how-motorize-your-road-bike.
[13]	“Product Overview.” The Lightest Electric Motor Available Anywhere Means Your Bike Can Look Just like a Conventional Bike, www.vivax-assist.com/en/product/.
[14]	“How A Bike Fit Can Address Common Aches and Pains.” How a Bike Fit Can Address Common Aches and Pains – USA Cycling, 31 May 2012, www.usacycling.org/how-a-bike-fit-can-address-common-aches-and-pai ns.htm.
[15]	Veal, Michael. “Cycling Knee Pain.” BikeDynamics, 2016, http://bikedynamics.co.uk/kneepain.htm.
[16]	Zinn, Lennard. “Technical FAQ: Stuck Seatpost Remedies.” VeloNews.com, 5 Nov. 2013, www.velonews.com/2009/10/news/road/stuck_seatpost_99640.
[17]	Mozer, David. “Bicycle History(& Human Powered Vehicle History).” Bicycle History Timeline, 2017, www.ibike.org/library/history-timeline.htm.
[18]	Mancone, Mary. “The History of Bicycles.” Brief Bicycle History, 2008, http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Fall08/Mancone/history.html.
[19]	Lamba, Sushil. “Evolution of Bicycle.” LinkedIn SlideShare, 14 Nov. 2014, www.slideshare.net/saffronist/evolution-of-bicycle.
[20]	“The Development of the Bicycle.” National Museum of American History, http://amhistory.si.edu/onthemove/themes/story_69_2.html.
[21]	“Aluminum Prices and Aluminum Price Charts.” InvestmentMine, 16 Oct. 2017, http://www.infomine.com/investment/metal-prices/aluminum/.
[22]	“Titanium Prices and Titanium Price Charts.” InvestmentMine, 31 May 2017, http://www.infomine.com/investment/metal-prices/ferro-titanium/.
[23]	Mazumdar, Sanjay. “State of the Composites Industry – 2016.” Composites Manufacturing Magazine, 5 Jan. 2017, http://compositesmanufacturingmagazine.com/2016/01/state-of-the-com posites-industry-lucintel-2016/6/.
[24]	“Riva Racing” – http://partsfinder.onlinemicrofiche.com/riva_normal/showmodel.asp?Type=13&make=seadoopwc&a=53&b=14&c=0&d=1997%20XP%20[5662]%20PROPULSION%20SYSTEM%20-%20TRIM.