Related Posts
02/16/08: Bike design comments
I am an experienced bike-user....it seems to me that the World Bike design would be more effective with ATB (commonly known as "mountain bike") wheels. Wheels that size are stronger, have lower axles and use wider tires. The wider tires (not necessarily knobby) work better in soft materials but are also fine on pavement and absorb more shock on rough surfaces. I know you have many other considerations that I may not be aware of, but I could not help but wonder this upon viewing the project.
The entire experience of bringing the Big Boda to Kenya is detailed in this final report. It covers everything from starting out in Kisumu to gauging the project's end result and lays out plans for improvments to the Big Boda and future projects. This is an excellent summary of the Big Boda Trial Market and a good read for anyone considering similar technology-import projects to areas like Kenya.
The longtail was the predecessor to the Big Boda. These plans are for the Longtail. It features a wider rear carrier that is more suitable to cargo and less suitable to passenger transport.
04/28/07: Big Boda Carries Bread
06/27/07: Straighten 10mm rod on a railroad tie.
Often the steel rod you purchase will be bent. After cutting it roughly to the correct lengths, you can straighten it on a section of railroad tie. Railroad tie is fairly universal and a common surface for metalwork in informal 'juacali' districts.
It's not possible to hammer tubing straight without destroying the tube shape. But hammering rod is fine and will maintain the integrity of the rod.
04/28/07: Big Boda JPEG Drawing
An alternate file type to the Big Boda Sketchup CAD drawing, this JPEG version provides and isometric view of the Big Boda with a few key dimensions.
04/28/07: Big Boda Sketchup Drawing
This is a 3D CAD drawing of the Big Boda done in Google's free Sketchup software available for download here. (Check out this Project Update entry to see Paul's notes on why we chose to use Sketchup). Alternately, if you want to avoid the download and installation of Sketchup, there's a JPEG version of the Sketchup file available here.
In the Cooper-Hewitt's garden at one of the night time events, Paul uses a solar-powered handbag light (one of the exhibition's other products) to demonstrate the truss structure of the Big Boda's frame.
An upcoming Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum exhibition will feature the Big Boda and the Worldbike as technologies that can improve the lives of customers in the Developing World. The exhibit opens in New York on May 5th, and will be up until the end of September. It will then tour, possibly reaching California and London.
I got a call from a woman associated with a nonprofit dedicated to saving wild dogs in Kenya. She wanted to purchase two Big Bodas for use in tracking dogs in the field. But she insisted that the Big Bodas be motorized. I asked her why she wanted motorized bikes. She said the trackers have to cover long distances.
The conversation went like this.
