i'd be interested in testing this.

I have not read all the comments that others have wrote so i don't bias myself with what most people are thinking. So far i have just watched the video and read the short description of it.

My impressions are this, it is definitely a unique design. I have never seen it anywhere before. However, most people fit their bike once, hopefully perfectly and never mess with it again. Once you fit the stem hight there is really no reason to readjust it. In fact, i would hate my stem high ever changing once i have it perfect.

That being said, i see this product as something i could attach to my bike and ride with it for a little while to find out what my preferred stem hight is - on the fly. Afterwards, i would want to take it off to save weight, less moving parts, less reason to steal my bike. . etc

So the question which begs is, would i buy it? No.

Although the traditional method of determining stem hight is slightly tedious through trial and error, it absolutely works. Would i pay $50+ for the convenience of not having to mess with a allen key? No.

Edit:

I suppose i should clarify my riding style. I am a 1 1/2 hour a day city commuter. I just read in someone else's post that this could be really good for the touring group. I totally agree with that. On such long rides packing so much gear, comfort is a priority over weight. Touring/randonneuring cyclists would be a good target market - i think :)
Hope this helps!

Thanks for your thoughts. I agree that this is not for everyone.

I took your advice and removed the metal that is not needed for strength. It is lighter now and just as strong.

Hello to all! Spring is just about here! If you were interested in trying out the EZRIDE system, go to my website jlsdesignworks.com . There are instructions on how to trial one of the EZRIDE systems.
Thanks

Finally getting back to it.
 

Hi, I am sorry but it has been a very busy summer. I finally did another video that shows more about the EZRIDE System and also how easy it is to install. Please take a look. www.JLSDESIGNWORKS.COM

It's a good concept, if a little bulky right now. I think it might be possible to shrink the parallelogram arms to about the same size as the old Softride stem had. What worked for them should work for you. Both stems are subject to the same stresses. In fact, it may be necessary, at least from a marketing standpoint. One concern is that the wide stem with the relatively sharp corners would be a safety hazard. Stem manufacturers always boast about how their stem can't bash your knees. Use the Softride width with a single gas piston in the middle. To make space for the piston, increase the distance between the upper and lower arms. It should be possible to do this without increasing the height of the steerer clamp by offsetting the pivots forward of the clamp and the upper pivot upward. It still looks a little overbuilt. Like any good component, it could stand a good FEA analysis. I think the upper arm can be made of something lighter since it's only in tension (and some torsion), not compression.

Also, make the description more focused since people seem to be getting confused. Like HappyStuffing above, some seem to think this is only good for finding an "ideal" handlebar height. You need to let people know that this is for changing riding position on the fly just like using multiple hand positions on drop bars or on flat bars with bar ends, but keeping the brake and shift levers always at hand no matter where the handlebars are. That's a disadvantage of bar-ends or even trekking handlebars, where only the main hand position has access to the controls. Over the years, various companies have made right angle brake levers and lever extensions to allow braking from the bar-ends, but those never helped with the shift levers. Finally, at $275, the market would be very limited. Get it down to somewhere between $100 and $150, about the same price as what the Softride stem retailed for. I know I've considered buying a Softride on eBay over the last few years, although bushing wear has always been a concern, especially since the Softride is out of production so it's impossible to get spare parts. Maybe design the stem around Garlock DU bushings in one of their standard catalog sizes.

This product is an awfully complicated and heavy solution to a problem that drop bars already solve quite nicely. A drop bar set at seat height or higher offers more positions for less weight. Another poster said some people are "intimidated" by drop bars. Huh? Drop bars are scary?

The first time this mechanism fails(and law of averages says it will fail on someone) and a rider ends up doing a faceplant it's going to cost you a lot of money. Having people monkeying around with their bar height while moving is a recipe for disaster.

Looks good!

Drop bars aren't scary, but they are less than ideal. Can you brake or shift from the tops or the curves behind the brake hoods? How much does it cost to convert to drop bars? New handlebars, new stem, new brake/shift levers. That gets pretty expensive, too, considering Nashbar charges $232 for 105 STI levers, their cheapest Shimano kit. Plus they don't work with most cable-operated disc brakes and definitely no hydraulics. I haven't heard of any serious failures of Softride or Girvin stems or the RockShox Reverb hydraulic seatpost. I suspect redundancy is part of the reason he uses two air springs. If one fails, the stem may bounce a bit more, but it won't drop to its lowest position.

It's a solution looking for a problem. I'm not interested, but don't let that keep you from trying to design and sell your contraption. There may be a market for this, but probably not commuters, who like to keep things simple, reliable and cheap.

It looks good. I might be less interested now that I have sorta converted to drop bars, but I would like to test this out for real this time. =)

+1 actually. From the description I thought you might be nuts, but I looked on your website and it's actually quite interesting. I noted the stable position of the controls as the machine moves through it's arc.

The people who say that drop bars already solve this problem are taking a narrow view -- many people (including me) don't like drop bars and would probably benefit from something like this. Plus, there's a huge wave of new riders who use those "flat bar" fitness or road bikes -- all of which could use this. I actually prefer mountain bike controls to drop bar controls because I find that housing wrapped under handlebar tape annoys me after rain and slush find their way into my cables over time.

The grouchy commuters like this don't buy a damned thing anyway, so what's the difference? Bike shops are filled with people willing to dump their money on worthless crap like carbon water bottle cages, plastic underwear with some guy named "louis" on it, $200 sunglasses, bags of jelly beans with electrolytes, etc.

This product is potentially useful -- so I'd say give it a go.

Give one to Sixty-Fiver! That guy is a commuting machine and is quite knowledgeable. He'll tell you if it's good or not, I guarantee it. I'd be much more convinced if it were battle-tested in nasty weather. Send a few north of the border ;)

Let's address your questions one by one---

" Can you brake or shift from the tops or the curves behind the brake hoods?" What do you mean? If I felt the need to brake from the tops, I'd install an inexpensive pair of cyclocross brake levers, and that would be that.With my drops, I can brake from the hoods and the drops, and getting my hand to the brake from the ramp or the top is a matter of a second. Not a big deal. As far as shifting from that position, why? It's not difficult for me to reach down to my barcon and shift. Too much emphasis is placed on the need to shift IMMEDIATELY. Pedal harder. It's good cardio.

"How much does it cost to convert to drop bars? New handlebars, new stem, new brake/shift levers." That depends. Nashbar offers a drop bar for $25, and barcons will cost you AT MOST $100. eBay is always a source for cheaper parts. As a matter of fact, there are Ultegra barcons on eBay right now for $60. New stem? Maybe, maybe not. Still, even if you have to do that, it's going to end up cheaper than $275 and will weigh less.

"Plus they don't work with most cable-operated disc brakes and definitely no hydraulics." A Google search for "disc brakes with road levers" reveals there are LOTS of people using that combination. Maybe not hydraulics, but I don't this this adjustable stem is marketed at the hydraulic disc brake crowd, who are mostly MTB'ers. No, this product is going to be aimed at older cyclists with fit issues, and following a Rivendell-style fit with a nice wide drop bar will solve their problem much more satisfactorily than simply rotating the bar backwards.

What this product does not address is being able to CHANGE HAND POSITION. That's one of the keys to comfort. That's why tourists, who will spend 8 hours a day in the saddle, use either drops or trekking bars overwhelmingly. Being able to move from the tops to the ramp to the hood to the drops allows one's hands to recover. All being able to raise the stem does, IMHO, is rest one's back. But if someone is so uncomfortable they need to raise the bars that high, I think they'll tend to keep the bar in the most comfortable position.

In the states, probably. Elsewhere -- hell no.

I would see this marketed to a lot of the newer "fitness bike" people entering the hobby at present -- think of all the hybrids and flat bar road bikes flying off the shelves right now.

Not in mine. I don't get back problems, but I do get some wrist and hand pain on some rides. Also, headwinds -- or when I'm entering the city so I could see better.

To me, the question would be how reliable is it when exposed to the weather? The other is how do you get this down to a price that people will pay? Yes, old grouches and people who are already happy with their set-up won't care -- that's obvious. Honestly, I wouldn't need one either. I could just see a market for a neat idea, that's all.

...........

Don't tell me. You're a retrogrouch. One of those guys who says, "I personally don't need something therefore it's stupid." Believe it or not, there are about six billion other people in the world and some of them might just think a little differently.

That's why I told him to get it down to less than $150. Honestly, do you try to read before you knock something? And an awful lot of people don't trust used parts bought on eBay or refuse to buy on eBay at all. I have no problem with doing so, but I'm not like you in believing my attitude is the only one that matters.

That's what happens when you rely on Google rather than experience. AFAIK, only one disc brake will work with road levers because of the different cable travel: the Avid BB7 version designed specifically for road use, and BB7s aren't cheap. So yes, most cable-operated discs won't work. You could add pulleys and other things to change cable travel, but this attitude of yours that "it's too complicated, so I can do it my way by adding different complication" is rather silly, too.

You're making assumptions that aren't very defensible. Touring cyclists don't use drops just to rest their hands. They also use them to vary their body position. Go lower to fight headwinds. Sit higher to breathe easier and take in the sights. Switch it up to use tired leg and gluteal muscles slightly differently. Use your favorite tool, Google. Do an image search for "touring bike" and you'll find that quite a few have flat bars. Over decades of riding, I've owned drops, flat with bar-ends (I used bar-ends before most people even heard of them), Scott AT-2/3/4, cowhorn, WTB flared drops, trekking and other handlebars you've never even heard of. When I did have drops, I spent over 95% of my time on the hoods because it was the most comfortable position and I could reach the brakes. I never had tired hands that needed rest. But again, unlike you, I don't believe my experience is the only valid one.

I appreciate the input from everyone. I learn so much from reading this....Thank you.
From my own experience, (as the inventor, maybe a bit bias)
I don't care for drop bars because I do not like to stay in the down position all of the time and I don't like having my hands so close together in the up position.
I have used the EZRIDE for over two years now. It does add weight and it is a mechanical device and yes it will cost somewhere between $100-$150.
As a sanity check I put my original stem back on occasionally just to see if this "contraption" is worth it. In doing so I continue to find more benefits:
When I ride wearing a backpack (laptop), I like to ride higher up. This keeps my back straighter and less "pull" against the straps.
Also, the shock absorption feature of the EZRIDE is something that I have grown very use to. I did not realize this until I went back to a solid stem.
This may not be for everyone. There is something to be said for keeping things simple and less mechanical. But, if you ride like i ride (in many different conditions) and want to have the ability to adapt to different conditions...this is worth the trade-off. Keep sending your comments...
I wonder if the bicycle rental folks would be interested in this? www.jlsdesignworks.com

Bike Guy, The video got me fired up to buy some Jeff Beck. The stem didn't do much for me. Good luck with it!

I get it...Old stuff is safe, new ideas take some imagination/risk...After 30 years of mechanical design and 26 patents I understand completely, stay safe my friend.

Have you considered a coil spring to provide height-adjustment force plus an elastomer bumper for shock absorption? It would reduce costs considerably over air cylinders. Better yet, use the same size elastomers as Cane Creek uses for their Thudbuster, which would provide widely available and inexpensive spares. Hate to say it, but if you don't reduce costs as much as possible, a big company can easily come in and undercut you.

The issue has been ...how to lock it in one place by using only the force of a thumb lever. This led to the clylinders. I am open to any ideas as you are completely correct about pricing. I will check out the Thudbuster. Thanks Jon

Are you interested in trying one of the EZRIDES?
 

Hello Sixty Fiver,
Would you like to tryout an EZRIDE system and then give us your feedback? Free of charge of course.
If so, contact me and I will arrange to send you one. You need a 1.125" diameter fork shaft and a 1" diameter handlebar. An installation video is on my website. It usually takes about five minutes to install.

my email is jonlsullivan@hotmail.com and my website www.JLSDESIGNWORKS.com

Take Care
Jon

Hello,
I am very interested in this. Where can I buy one? What is the cost?

email sent

I saw the Youtube video. Interesting. For $50 I might well consider that.

On the other hand, regarding the video... Did pay Jeff Beck his due royalties for using his music? ;)

I think it's very interesting but personally I'm not sure what bike I'd have it on, as I'm generally a fan of drops or bar ends - I like having my wrists at those angles and it feels more natural to me (I even do push-ups this way).

Too bulky/heavy for my road bike for which I like the drops enough on (but I agree that when riding more upright I don't always like the narrower grip).

I also wouldn't put something so exotic/expensive on my commuter/beater which I have to lock up. The extra 3 lbs or so probably wouldn't be worth it over the relatively short length of my commute, as my commuter is heavy enough already...

Maybe if I was a tourer/randonneur I'd consider it though. Weight/bulk wouldn't matter, but comfort would. The extra damping on the wrists/arms would be nice and being able to adjust on the fly would be handy when you're riding so many hours in the day.

I think it might be the other way around, lots of stuff happens at the Taipei Bike Trade Show because lots of manufacturing happens there.....

z

Just watched the video.

The engineer geek in me says that is a cool looking toy, I like what you did there... but the commuter in me says no, it doesn't solve a problem that isn't better solved with drop bars. Sorry dude but the added weight, cost, and complexity makes it inferior to drop bars while not provoding any additional functionality over drop bars IMO, but good luck with it.

Interesting idea. I like the concept, seems like after some iterations it'll be a slick product. Lot sof pinch points and 3lb will be a problem for many cyclists because of the weight weenie factor. I suppose with the amount of carbon fiber flat bar "fitness bikes" being sold there is certainly a market. Just needs to be mass produced and marketed.
Good luck! Nice to see innovation is alive and well in the US!