The OP is conducting whats known as online ethnographic research. Funnily enough I did the exact same thing when I was doing post-grad research in the Netherlands, though I have to admit I didn't cop the same kind of stick he has, but it was a different online community.
Anyway, there are various ethical positions with this kind of research. One is that its better to introduce yourself as a researcher and then use data which results from questioning, rather than appropriate data from the community by 'lurking' without recognition. In that sense, the OP has done the correct thing, and I'd point out to those that accuse him of laziness for not utilising the rest of the forum - you don't know that he hasn't.
Originally Posted by
J.C. Koto
I shall note,
For your edification,
You still didn't answer
Machka's question.
I think the other thing the OP might have now learned is that there is not just a different bike culture between his country and the US/Australia but that there is also a different design culture. Why should a design researcher need to have a product in mind before embarking on research? Why shouldn't a design researcher turn to a biking forum for information as the first port of call, rather than an act of last minute desperation as some implied? IMHO industrial design schools in the US and Australia (typically, there are exceptions) are far too concerned with solving specific functional or manufacturing constraints serving industrial/commercial purposes. As a result, nothing changes in the social, and its to the detriment of the environment. It really is better for a product designer to NOT choose a product to design first and then figure out how to design it, but rather do the research first to discover whether a product is even needed in the first place.
I'm interested to find out what the OP concludes about his answers. I can only hope he doesn't choose to design something for a global market just because its a global market. Designers should serve their local conditions first.
IMHO I would love it if my city became 1/10 as cycle friendly as Amsterdam, though I cringe at the increase in bike theft which may come with it. But, it would be worth the increase in safety. I might revert to riding sub 200 dollar frames but my wife would sleep easier at night.