Bone's "Bike Portable Tool Kit" Design Process Revealed!
Specially designed for cycling enthusiasts, this maintenance and adjustment tool kit solves various needs, such as tire punctures, brakes, gears, seats, water bottle racks, etc., ensuring your bike is always in optimal condition! No need to worry about flat tires or bike issues during your ride anymore. Let's explore how this innovative product was born and the difficulties overcome during its design process.
Creative Inspiration for Cycling Punctures
In early 2021, Bone began planning the "Mini Tool Kit" product, addressing the biggest concern for outdoor cycling - tire punctures. When riding in the countryside, fixing a flat tire becomes an essential task, or you won't be able to ride back home. However, flat tires happen unexpectedly, and having a compact and portable tire repair tool kit to address this issue became the starting point for the Bike Portable Tool Kit.
Exploration Direction: The first step in repairing or changing a tire is to remove the outer tire and take out the inner tube for repair. We began to think about the shape, size, and necessary components for the tire repair kit, starting from the design of the tire lever, considering which parts were needed to construct a comprehensive bicycle tire repair tool kit.
Design concept for the tire lever
Test 1
In the first design, we confirmed the inclusion of a mini air pump, adapter nozzle, extension hose, tire lever, puncture repair patches, and rubbing patches. All these tools were cleverly arranged within the compact silicone body, aiming for easy access and securing them with an all-in-one lid and strap design, allowing for storage and attachment to the bike through material characteristics and structural design.
Bike Portable Tool Kit Test 1 with silicone body and tire repair tools
Tire repair tools neatly packed inside the Test 1 version of the silicone body
In the first design, we proposed an "integrated tool pouch and strap" design. However, we found that the lid couldn't tightly cover the body, and it didn't provide the secure fit we expected. When attaching it to the bike frame, the pulling force caused deformation of the body and lid, making it unusable.
Deformation and inadequate closure in the attached state of Test 1
Test 2
Thus, we considered how to improve the pulling force caused by the integrated strap design, leading us to separate the strap and use Bone's existing "Bike Strap" to attach the tool kit to the bike. The lid was also redesigned to have a deeper shape, allowing for greater coverage, preventing tools from falling out and providing water resistance.
Test 2 version with separated strap and silicone body
Detachable strap design
Uneven structure causing shaking issues
However, during the second round of testing, we discovered that the lid still didn't tightly cover the body under cycling vibrations, making it prone to coming loose. The independent strap design resulted in a "height difference," causing the "body and bike frame" to shake and collide during cycling, affecting the riding experience.
Test 3 & 4
To address this issue caused by the independent strap, we returned to the idea of an integrated strap design for the third version. We found that we could solve the problems of "height difference" and shaking by using two separate straps attached to the front and back of the body.
Improved stability with two separate straps
Test 3 returned to the integrated strap design, with separate straps attached
Test 4 with increased strap size for better attachment
Through the third and fourth samples, we experimented with different strap sizes to make them lightweight and compact. However, they lacked the strength to withstand the vibrations during cycling. In the end, we returned to Bone's classic strap design, which provided sufficient attachment strength, ensuring the lid would tightly cover the body and maintain the water-resistant feature.
In-depth Deliberation to Meet Demands
Despite the seemingly completed product, after visiting cycling users, we realized that the tool kit, with only tire repair functionality, had limited usage opportunities. Users wished to include other maintenance tools such as hex wrenches and screwdrivers. We began to think about how to fit these tire repair and bicycle maintenance tools into the smallest possible space.
Pen holder-like design with secure lid
Test 5
We adopted a "pen holder-like, secure lid" design, differentiating the tire repair and maintenance tool sets. We arranged different tools on both ends of the body, making full use of the idle space inside the body. This reduced the overall volume and length by 15%, resulting in a more harmonious overall proportion.
Test 5 version with a "pen holder-like, secure lid" design
Left side for tire repair tools: tire lever, mini air pump, scraper patch, puncture repair patch
Right side for maintenance tools: hex wrench and crosshead screwdriver
Deformation during attachment, creating a gap and losing water resistance
In the Test 5 version, the lid coverage was greatly improved, preventing it from coming loose during vibration tests and avoiding the problem of tools falling out. The structural change also made the body water-resistant. However, as we attached the strap to the lid component, pulling it to attach to the bike frame caused a gap between the lid and body, raising concerns about potential water leakage.
Test 6
In response, we modified the strap attachment to the body to avoid deformation caused by stretching during attachment, preventing the gap and restoring the original water-resistant feature.
Strap modified to attach to the body to avoid deformation
Test 7
During testing of the hex wrench tool set, we noticed an issue of collision noise. It would be quite annoying if the tool kit continuously produced noise when attached to the bike for a long time. To address this, we used a silicone fixing ring to tightly secure the six hex wrenches, preventing them from colliding with each other. The silicone ring's soft and shock-absorbing properties ensured that the tool kit would no longer produce noise during cycling.
Silicone fixing ring prevents collision noise between hex wrenches
For the hex wrench set, we replaced the 4mm and 6mm sizes with a combination of crosshead screwdriver and hex wrench, making it possible to adjust certain parts using the crosshead screwdriver.
Modification of the hex wrenches for a more comprehensive product experience
Unique Design, Continuous Innovation
Bike Portable Tool Kit installed under the bike seat
The Bike Portable Tool Kit consists of a fully silicone body and two sets of tool kits. Using its built-in elastic strap, the compact tool kit can be attached to the bike frame or seat. With its unique design combining tire repair and hex wrench tool sets, it's a convenient companion for group rides, long-distance cycling, or mountain biking. Whenever there's a flat tire or bike component issue, it can be immediately repaired. It also becomes the center of attention and a valuable aid for the whole team.
Bike Portable Tool Kit can be attached to the bike frame or seat
After going through six versions and numerous tests, the "Bike Portable Tool Kit" was officially released in July 2023 and received enthusiastic feedback from cycling enthusiasts. We are extremely grateful for the support and suggestions from cyclists. We listened to your feedback, which is the most valuable information for Bone. We will continue to think about how to meet your demands, turning them into the driving force for innovation and creating even better and more stylish products, allowing everyone to ride safely and happily.
Bike Portable Tool Kit Test 1~6 versions