Hello All,

I don't know if I've mentioned this before but I'm an industrial design student at San Francisco State. My focus is Product Design and this semester I've been working on a Fixed Gear conversion for an existing internally geared hub. I'm trying to tie up some loose ends now and need data for my final report. If you could take some time out of your day to answer ten short questions about your riding and buying preferences it would help me immensely in bringing my project to completion and quite possibly bringing a product to market.

Feel free to post your answers in this thread or PM them to me.

Thank you very much for your time,
Dave

Multi-Speed Fixed Hub:
Potential Consumer Survey

1.What percentage of your riding time is as a bicycle commuter?

2.What percentage of your riding time is as a fixed-gear rider?

3.How long have you been bicycle commuting?

4.How long have you been riding fixed?

5.On average how much do you spend monthly on your bicycle hobby?

6.Are you eager to try new cycling products?

7.Would you be interested in a multi-speed fixed-gear rear hub retailing for:
__$50
__$100
__$150
__$200
__$300

8.Would you be interested in a multi-speed fixed-gear rear hub conversion kit retailing for:
__$25
__$50
__$75
__$100
__$150

9.Do you currently own any internally geared hubs and if so which models?

10.Is there currently a multi-speed fixed gear hub or conversion kit on the market that you know of?

Thanks Again!

1. about 2/3
2. about 95%
3. a little over a year
4. since January (so four or five months)
5. maybe $75 to $200 depending on how many goodies I buy.
6. not blindly, but probably if something looks useful or interesting to me
7. $100 to $150 or cheaper probably
8. The machined parts to convert a Sturmey Archer for $50 would be a sweet setup
9. Sturmey Archer model AW (the classic three-speed) and soon I may have a Shimano Nexus 8 speed.
10. nothing commercially available anymore. Sturmey Archer made one long ago, but they are disgustingly rare and expensive now, as very few were made. There are plans for converting certain three-speed hubs on the web that have varying degrees of success. A commercial adaptation with properly machined and hardened parts to do one of these conversions would be a great start.

1. probably 60-70%
2. 90-95%
3. 3 years
4. coming up on a year
5. ~100$ month give or take... less than I do on beer
6. sometimes
7. 150$ if i lived in a more hilly area
8. 50$
9. no
10. no

Multi-Speed Fixed Hub:
Potential Consumer Survey

1.50%

2.100%

3. 7 years

4. 7 years

5. $200

6. of course

7.Not really interested but would be willing to spend 150-250 for a solid product.

8.For a conversion I wouldn't want to spend more than a 100

9.No

10. No

Thanks for all the responses! keep 'em comin!

Potential Consumer Survey

1.What percentage of your riding time is as a bicycle commuter?
70%

2.What percentage of your riding time is as a fixed-gear rider?
95%

3.How long have you been bicycle commuting?
1 Year

4.How long have you been riding fixed?
9 months

5.On average how much do you spend monthly on your bicycle hobby?
$50

6.Are you eager to try new cycling products?
No

7.Would you be interested in a multi-speed fixed-gear rear hub retailing for:
_N_$50
_N_$100
_N_$150
_N_$200
_N_$300

8.Would you be interested in marketing a multi-speed fixed-gear rear hub conversion kit retailing for:
_N_$25
_N_$50
_N_$75
_N_$100
_N_$150

9.Do you currently own any internally geared hubs and if so which models?
N

10.Is there currently a multi-speed fixed gear hub or conversion kit on the market that you know of?
N

Thanks Again!

1.What percentage of your riding time is as a bicycle commuter?

50%

2.What percentage of your riding time is as a fixed-gear rider?

50%

3.How long have you been bicycle commuting?

10 years

4.How long have you been riding fixed?

4 months

5.On average how much do you spend monthly on your bicycle hobby?

$50 (Hobby? More like a way of life.)

6.Are you eager to try new cycling products?

Yes

7.Would you be interested in a multi-speed fixed-gear rear hub retailing for:
__$50
__$100
__$150
__$200
__$300

8.Would you be interested in marketing a multi-speed fixed-gear rear hub conversion kit retailing for:
__$25
__$50
__$75
__$100
__$150

9.Do you currently own any internally geared hubs and if so which models?

No.

10.Is there currently a multi-speed fixed gear hub or conversion kit on the market that you know of?

No.

Thanks Again!

My pleasure.

1.What percentage of your riding time is as a bicycle commuter?
75%

2.What percentage of your riding time is as a fixed-gear rider?
20%

3.How long have you been bicycle commuting?
6 years

4.How long have you been riding fixed?
6 years

5.On average how much do you spend monthly on your bicycle <strike>hobby</strike> habbit?
probably about $100, with shop discounts. i keep trying to not buy things, but i always end up needing something. that said, i haven't bought anything for my fixie in a looooonnnng time.

6.Are you eager to try new cycling products?
oh hell yes. i'm planning on getting a new roadie with the SRAM kit on it in august.

7.Would you be interested in a multi-speed fixed-gear rear hub retailing for:
__$50
__$100
__$150
XX$200
__$300

8.Would you be interested in marketing a multi-speed fixed-gear rear hub conversion kit retailing for:
__$25
__$50
__$75
XX$100
__$150


9.Do you currently own any internally geared hubs and if so which models?
Nope, but i think my next stupid purchase will be a nexus 8 speed, an american classic micro front hub, and a pair of silver 26" deep V's.

10.Is there currently a multi-speed fixed gear hub or conversion kit on the market that you know of?
Nope. there was a guy in boston i had heard of a few years back who was doing it for folks, but i don't know how far he ever got with it.

1.What percentage of your riding time is as a bicycle commuter?
95%
2.What percentage of your riding time is as a fixed-gear rider?
at the moment, 0%
3.How long have you been bicycle commuting?
7 years
4.How long have you been riding fixed?
4 years
5.On average how much do you spend monthly on your bicycle hobby?
$50
6.Are you eager to try new cycling products?
this reminds me of the kids in the hall sketch where bruce asks mark in the laundromat if he is interested in business opportunities
7.Would you be interested in a multi-speed fixed-gear rear hub retailing for:
__$50
__$100
__$150
++$200
__$300

8.Would you be interested in marketing a multi-speed fixed-gear rear hub conversion kit retailing for:
__$25
++$50
__$75
__$100
__$150

9.Do you currently own any internally geared hubs and if so which models?
no
10.Is there currently a multi-speed fixed gear hub or conversion kit on the market that you know of?
no

1.What percentage of your riding time is as a bicycle commuter?

80%

2.What percentage of your riding time is as a fixed-gear rider?

90%

3.How long have you been bicycle commuting?

9 years

4.How long have you been riding fixed?

1 year

5.On average how much do you spend monthly on your bicycle hobby?

Varies highly. Probably $100 average.

6.Are you eager to try new cycling products?

Only if they are really interesting, like a multi-speed fixed hub.

7.Would you be interested in a multi-speed fixed-gear rear hub retailing for:

__$150 or less. More if its nice and I get a job.

8.Would you be interested in marketing a multi-speed fixed-gear rear hub conversion kit retailing for:

marketing? no

9.Do you currently own any internally geared hubs and if so which models?

Sturmey archer AW

10.Is there currently a multi-speed fixed gear hub or conversion kit on the market that you know of?

no

Thanks Again for all the responses.

Please post up if you haven't already.

1.What percentage of your riding time is as a bicycle commuter?
20

2.What percentage of your riding time is as a fixed-gear rider?
20 (Commuter bike is fixed)

3.How long have you been bicycle commuting?
2 yrs

4.How long have you been riding fixed?
3yrs

5.On average how much do you spend monthly on your bicycle hobby?
Are we talking strictly hardware or all costs?
Hardware - $20 - $40
Haterade - $10 - $30
Entry Fees - $120
Pizza and wine - $250

6.Are you eager to try new cycling products?
Nope

7.Would you be interested in a multi-speed fixed-gear rear hub retailing for:
__$50
__$100
__$150
__$200
__$300
No, but if I was I certainly wouldn't mind paying $200 for a hub with the following criteria:
High Flange, Low internal Friction, Light (as practical), Anodized Blue or Black.

8.Would you be interested in a multi-speed fixed-gear rear hub conversion kit retailing for:
__$25
__$50
__$75
__$100
__$150
Nope

9.Do you currently own any internally geared hubs and if so which models?
SA 3spd on a cruiser bike (hate it).

10.Is there currently a multi-speed fixed gear hub or conversion kit on the market that you know of?
Not that I would consider buying.

Enjoy

1.50%
2.50%
3.1 year
4.1 year
5.$70
6.No.
7.$50
8.$50
9.no
10.no

1. 10%
2. 40%
3. ****, forever?
4. About nine months.
5. Oh jeez... couple hundred at least. Sigh.
6. Sure.
7. 150$. I'd be interested in all price-points >100$, though.
8. 50$. Ditto #7
9. No.
10. Not that I'm aware of.

1.What percentage of your riding time is as a bicycle commuter?

80%

2.What percentage of your riding time is as a fixed-gear rider?

70%

3.How long have you been bicycle commuting?

About a year and a half.

4.How long have you been riding fixed?

1.5 years.

5.On average how much do you spend monthly on your bicycle hobby?

$0-$200

6.Are you eager to try new cycling products?

Sure, if they will add something to my life.

7.Would you be interested in a multi-speed fixed-gear rear hub retailing for:

$50 to $150

8.Would you be interested in a multi-speed fixed-gear rear hub conversion kit retailing for:

$50

9.Do you currently own any internally geared hubs and if so which models?

No.

10.Is there currently a multi-speed fixed gear hub or conversion kit on the market that you know of?

There have been some sort of cobbled-together models people have made here and there but the slop factor has always turned me away from those ideas.

Ideally, the hub would have four settings: -33%, direct-drive, +%33 and freewheel, for my purposes. The freewheel part of things could probably only exist in a ground-up-re-engineered product. Some conversions out there have a "freewheel" setting that simply disconnects the drivetrain from the hub. That's nice-n-all, but it'd be far nicer to be able to pedal.

Cheers!

Hey, just to help out a little bit, qualitative responses in the number fields don't help too much. He needs numbers, people! The power is in the numbers! Except, of course, in the qualitative fields. Ah forget it.

1.What percentage of your riding time is as a bicycle commuter? 50%

2.What percentage of your riding time is as a fixed-gear rider? 85%

3.How long have you been bicycle commuting? Four years.

4.How long have you been riding fixed? Two years

5.On average how much do you spend monthly on your bicycle hobby? Not just a hobby but about 400$

6.Are you eager to try new cycling products? Always

7.Would you be interested in a multi-speed fixed-gear rear hub retailing for:$50 to $150 no

8.Would you be interested in a multi-speed fixed-gear rear hub conversion kit retailing for:50$ no

9.Do you currently own any internally geared hubs and if so which models? s/a 3 speed

10.Is there currently a multi-speed fixed gear hub or conversion kit on the market that you know of? no