Need some help! can someone help me?
Posted: 07 September 2010 06:37 PM
Hey guys need some help! Basically I’m doing some DT coursework and I was wondering if you’d answer some questions about something I’m planning to design…
I’m planning to design a seat which can be connected to the snowboard to allow the user more comfort when riding down slopes. As a boarder myself I find myself struggling to stand up in the same stance particularly in tight areas where you have ability to switch feet.
My first question would be how much would you be willing to pay for a portable seat which can be connected in the middle of the board? It would simply connect at the bottom and would be held in the air by a thin aluminum pole and is light and small enough to be carried in a back pack when not in use…
My second question would be: If you bought my design idea what would you expect it to do and also what would you want it to look like appearance wise… e.g. color/shape/decoration/style?
Question number 3: How long would you expect it to last? (snowboarding seasons) Also would you expect the seat to come with spare parts?
It would be much appreciated if you could answer these questions for me, thank you very much!
Fabio
Posted: 08 September 2010 04:01 AM
Wait… you are designing a seat to attach to a snowboard to ride down the mountain with OR a seat that allows snowboards to sit while not moving?
Either way I’m not sure of the practical implications of either design… if you are getting tired riding down pull off to the side and have a seat or find a log/bench/take the board off. As for snowboarding down the mountain while seated, kinda hard to do considering you have to twist your core to turn and that would be very difficult while seated.
Posted: 08 September 2010 04:56 AM
Hey Fabio,
Sorry to crush your dreams but I can’t see it working or being marketable. The whole idea behind snowboarding is that it’s supposed to be exciting, fast and dangerous….........it isn’t Golf. When snowboarding you use a lot of movements to get the board moving in the direction that you want it to, sitting-down would stop a lot of these movements. You’d also have to have a big shock absorber on the pole because otherwise you’d be in severe discomfort, think about how much shock-absorbing your knees and ankles do when you ride…......shock-absorbers are expensive and heavy. Also, how would you attach it to the board without altering the flex of the board? And if you fell on it…....a thin Aluminium pole could do an awful lot of damage!!!
Back to the drawing board I’m afraid. If you could develop something that allows disabled people to shred then that would be a lot more useful…..there is apparatus in existence but it isn’t particularly good.
Good luck mate
Posted: 08 September 2010 09:15 AM
Actually, I do share the concerns of Reloaded and Tom and I don’t think I need to add some more ‘criticism’ here.
But just out of interest, could you maybe sketch your idea on paper and put it up here so I can imagine how, more or less exactly, your idea is supposed to look/work?
Anyway, it always takes someone to make the first step in any new development, so I’m stoked you are trying to design something new here. Maybe it’s not this idea, but keep on looking- maybe it’s something like Tom proposed!
Posted: 08 September 2010 02:06 PM
Hi Fabio,
Sorry buddy, a portable seat for snowboarding isn’t going to make your millions, it’s probably only going to attract unfavourable feedback from the likes of the Angry Snowboard, check his blog it’s brutal on occasion but a good laugh all the same.
I think I’d consider your market research well under way and go back to the drawing board.
Maybe you could look at the use of a number of natural fibres to replace conventional man made glass or carbon fibres, write to some universities in your local area and see if you can find a material sciences lab where you can do some tensile strength testing… examiners and university entrace folk love that kind of stuff. Or perhaps have a look at designing a roof rack for snowboarders who don’t have roof bars, like soft racks for a snowboard.
There are definitely lots of problems in snowboarding that need a solution, but I don’t think cat-track leg burn is bad enough to warrant carrying a seat with you all day… and looking like a bit of a plumb in the process.
All the best, and if you need some help, I’m sure everyone on this forum would be delighted to help.
Rich
Posted: 18 September 2010 12:33 PM
I was really hoping it was!
You never know, next season when your packing your pack for a days riding, it’ll be like:
Tranciever… check
Probe… check
Shovel… check
Inner Gloves… check
Chocolate… check
Attachable Snowboarding seat for cat-tracks… erm check
We’ll be eating our words.
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