Great product ideas are born every day. Literally. And most of them die in the same day.
However, some of them survive to the second day. And then the third. They start growing in their creators’ minds until they finally take them over. And that’s when the fun starts and the building begins.
But just having a prototype and showing it to your friends is only a small part of the whole process. You need to be able to manufacture and sell it. That’s where crowdfunding comes in.
It offers the perfect launch spot. Validate your product and raise money to manufacture it. Sounds easy, but it’s not. Luckily, there are people who still do it.
People like you and me who love bikes. Who work countless hours to bring an idea to life.
Today, we’re bringing five of these projects to the spotlight. We’re sure there are countless more. If you have any other suggestions, leave a comment or drop a line at hello [at] waldo . bike.
- patchnride
I’m pretty sure that every one of you has had at least one flat tire sometime in his or her life. Even if you have a spare camera with you, the feeling is still terrible. You have to take the wheel off, get dirty and waste time. But what if you could fix it in seconds? That’s what patchnride does. It’s a little device that you stick into the place where the tire got punctured. It provides a kind of seal. Afterwards, you just have to pump air into the tire and you’re good to go.
The campaign has ended, but you can pre-order it from the website for $35.
- Lumos
Safety is a big issue when riding your bike. Being visible on the road can make the difference between a safe ride and an accident. And Lumos does just that: it’s an intelligent helmet with integrated brake and turn signal lights. The turn signals are controlled with an included wireless remote, whereas the brake light is automatically triggered.
You can pre-order it from their website.
- The LEED 500 Series High Power Electric Bike Conversion Kit
Probably not the best choice for a name, but I think you can guess what this does. J It‘s especially useful if you live in a hilly city. Add some 30°C during the summer and you can understand why e-bikes are becoming increasingly popular. Its big advantage is the price – $679 if you pre-order it now from Kickstarter.
- GlideCycle
This is a somewhat weird combination between running and cycling. The main advantage is that you can run with it even if you had an injury that prevents you from running normally. We assume that people have mixed feelings about it, that’s why it didn’t manage to raise a lot of money. However, we like it and would definitely give it a go.
You can pre-order it for $949.
- Bike Balls
If you didn’t know what to think of GlideCycle, Bike Balls will definitely trigger some strong emotions. You either love it or hate it. Even if it’s a bit cheeky, we love it. And it does provide safety in an „overconfident” way. We think this comment from bikerumour.com describes it best: “Simultaneously the best and worst bike product I’ve ever seen. Sometimes something is so utterly awful, it becomes genius.”
You can pre-order them it for $17. Confidence included.