CompleteStreets

Check out this video of a new design for a bike umbrella: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rq8qxgNiF9Y

TransitBiker

I would not be able to use that, but for upright geometry city riders, could be great.

Poking around, i've found the original videos from the inventor. I hope it works out, as it does seem to be a viable product. I can see food delivery cyclists using this especially.

- Andy

modernjess

I could see that is might be a welcome addition to bike share program bikes. It's not something I'd ever use, but after watching the video it's not as totally janky as I'd expected.

RaleighSport

I'll stick to fenders and a rainsuit.. that would slow me down a lot on a rainy day.

rumrunn6

ummm ...

cycle_maven

^ I don't think the bike umbrella would have prevented that guy's header. His front wheel fell into a hole.

scroca

Ironic that the bike umbrella over the camera did not keep water off the lens.

This product would be great if wind never blew rain sideways and you couldn't get splashed by passing vehicles.

no1mad 

I'll pass.

wolfchild

Umbrellas on a bike are silly and they're useless and dangeorus during windy days. I prefer to wear a hoodie.

keyven

It's fine for a light drizzle (conveniently shown on the advert), but when it becomes a freakin' sail on a windy day you'd regret buying it.

ItsJustMe

Might work for people living in a city that only need to go 8 MPH, there's little wind and they're only going a mile or two.

As someone who is going 15 miles one way on 50+ MPH rural roads, often fighting 10 to 20 MPH gusty headwinds and having cars pass at high speed, carrying an umbrella would be suicide. Even a rain cape was not workable for me, I got blown all over the road when I tried.

spoiledrotten

And you'd have to ride at a crawling speed. Anything over about 3 to 4 MPH, and you'd be soaked from the chest down.
They were also quick to show the real time in seconds regarding the man put up and take down, but didn't want to show that compared to the slow time for the woman's bike. I'll have to pass on this one, too.

scroca

And what would happen on a crowed MUP if 2 bicycles with these attached passed each other going opposite directions but too close to avoid the umbrellas contacting one another? Would they tear? Yank a cyclist or two down?

I'll add this to the football umbrella idea. The same garbage can, I mean.

Giant Doofus

I really wanted to like this, but I can't see how it would help in anything other than a light drizzle with very little wind. I think I'm the kind of cyclist they are aiming for too: I ride an upright dutch-style bike and wear my everyday work clothes when I ride; my commute is six relatively flat miles each way; and I'm generally not riding much over 10-12 mph.

CompleteStreets

I think most of you are exaggerating with your anecdotes when you dismiss this umbrella. OK, this won't work for really windy days, but then again I don't even WALK with an umbrella if it's super windy out. This umbrella is practical for speeds greater than 3-4 mph. Maybe not 15-20, but at 8-12 mph it would work fine. And I'd also argue that it is practical for more than just a light drizzle. People all over countries like Holland ride bikes with umbrellas during steady rain.

Video evidence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2hc1Ulwkew

Giant Doofus

I'm not convinced. The rain in that video looked pretty light for the most part. Plus, the overwhelming majority of people weren't using umbrellas. They were wearing rain jackets or capes with the hood up. Those still seem like more practical solutions to me. Like I said, I really did want to like this idea. I just can't see how it would do much good if the rain were coming down at much of an angle.

mcours2006

I tend to agree with this. Personally I would not use it as it would slow me down. I commute as much for the exercise I get as for saving money/environment, and going 8-10mph isn't going to cut it. However, for people commuting shorter distances in a metropolitan area where they aren't going at a leisurely pace, I think it could work. But a rain suit would work just as well, and you wouldn't have to worry about the wind.

TransitBiker

This product i think is meant to be targeted at areas with heavy bicycle numbers and a tradition of riding to work/school. I don't think it world work is most of the US.

- Andy

jacobinchina

A lot of people in Southern China who ride e-bikes have these, and they can get up to 25-30mph. They might be sturdier than the one in the video, but they don't seem to cause any hazards. Riders still wear a poncho (that fits over the handle bar) so there's a limit to how useful these things are.

keyven

Agreed - when I saw these I did not see potential, I saw limitations. A protective article of clothing would do just as well without the potential problems. It is a limited market at best.

spare_wheel

bah.

i love the rain. it wipes away sweat and makes riding fun.

tjspiel

It's larger than an umbrella you'd walk around with therefore the effects of the wind will be amplified. You're also a little more stable when you have two feet planted on the ground vs perched atop an upright bicycle.

They went to great pains to mention that it's transparent so that you can see through it, but once there's enough water on it, the view through it will be distorted at best.

I could see the value if you live someplace where light rain or drizzle under mostly calm conditions is common. There are places like that.

Tailor

Ugh, not only would this kind of thing increase your drag immensely. it woudl also add to your footprint if you ride under trees. Last but not least, not sure about others, but where I live, rain comes with 150-20mph winds.. the LAST thing I want is a giant sail that is only catching the minor rain from above, not the major rain from the sides (or usually the front, since every wind here is magically a headwind). I'll just get wet if that's the only other option.

CompleteStreets

I welcome the friendly debate. While I agree that the umbrella is larger than a typical umbrella, the bike umbrella seems to be more long than it is wide. Umbrellas in general are shaped in a manner that allows the wind to blow over the shell with little effect. They are nothing like sailboat sails which have a vertical profile. It seems like this bike umbrella is well shaped for *avoiding* effects of cross winds. There's a bit of a peak on each side.

I would argue that a cyclist wearing a rain cape would be more unstable than a cyclist with this bike umbrella. Rain capes DO act like sails. I know from using one biking across a bridge with wind gusts in the 30 mph range. I felt unstable, but I was able to maintain balance.

Humans are rational creatures. If it's particularly windy outside and they don't feel safe with the bike umbrella, they'll take it down and resort to a Plan B, just as they would with a regular umbrella.

Regarding the transparency of the umbrella, it appears that the umbrella does not obstruct views of cars ahead, but rather obstructs views of objects higher up. Traffic signals, for example, would have to be viewed through the umbrella. I don't see this as an issue as a rider would easily be able to distinguish the colors of a traffic signal through the umbrella.

In places where people normally ride around 8-12 mph, with rain that fluctuates from a drizzle to occasional downpours, I'd say this umbrella would be quite practical for 80%-90% of rainy days. A great invention.

tjspiel

A wing is probably a better comparison, but sails are just wings turned on their sides. They work partially through the lift they generate, - just like a wing does.

Umbrellas are definitely affected by crosswinds. You've probably felt the upward pull of an umbrella on a windy day due to lift. That is why this happens:




The bike umbrellas are attached near the front wheel where any kind of pull is more apt to cause an unplanned change in direction.