Part 3 of 4: Hoima Bicycle Documentary

Part 2 of 4: Hoima Bicycle on Youtube

Hoima Bicycle: Posted on Youtube

I've posted the complete documentary, Hoima Bicycle, on Youtube.

This documentary shows the process of designing a bicycle for and with Ugandan bicycle couriers, known as Boda-boda. Filmed primarily in Uganda, it shows the realities of current day East Africa, from the chaotic streets of Kampala to the inside of gritty mud-thatched homes in rural Hoima. In Uganda many residents use cheap, clunky bicycles for their primary means of transportation. Through a unique collaboration between an American designer and Ugandan couriers, a new bicycle design was conceived and a prototype was made. The designer then traveled to Uganda to meet the couriers and to have the bike tested and critiqued. Would they like it? Or is it back to the drawing board? How can you use your talents and skills to help the poor of the world?

This is part 1 of 4.

If you would like a DVD of the complete documentary (30 minutes) it will soon be available on Amazon.com.  I'll be posting discussion questions so that it could be used in design education.  Although this project had many mistakes and some successes, I learned a great deal from the experience.

Bicycle T-shirts to Support Hoima Bicycle Project

Here's a some bike shirts and stickers that I just designed...

http://www.zazzle.com/treadwater

$2 per sale will go to the Hoima Bicycle Project in Uganda.

We're designing a bicycle along side Uganda bike couriers, and

hoping to set up a micro business frame shop in Uganda. With

the goal of bringing these young men and their families out of poverty.

Hoima Bicycle project on IDSA webinar

Thanks to Leslie Speer, Leslie Cron and the IDSA for allowing me to share the story of the Hoima Bicycle project. The webinar was attended by about 50 people from around the world. And I received great suggestions on improvements and ways to continue the project.

I'm currently talking with Tristan Allen who is in Uganda with the First African Bicycle Information Organization about setting up a small fabrication shop in Jinja to make some frames and assemble the bikes.

Here's a further description of the design:

Prototype 1.0

The first prototype design is essentially an elongated mountain bike with an integrated rack. The front geometry has comfortable mountain bike geometry with a low stand-over height, rigid fork, and 26 inch front wheel. The 20 inch rear wheel has been moved back, increasing its wheelbase 10 inches which allows for a more distributed load between the two wheels and provides more area for loads and passengers. A rear rack is designed to be integrated into the welded frame and is in the form of a tetrahedron. This is a very structurally rigid and lightweight form.

All extraneous parts and accessories were omitted. The rear wheel uses a coaster brake hub to eliminate rear cables, brake pads, and reduce maintenance. The drive train is a simple roller chain, single-speed freewheel and is geared low to roll at 12 mph at 90 rpm. (3.7 m (145 inches) per revolution development). A small rear wheel allows for a lower platform and center of gravity for carrying cargo. This would be advantageous for some types of low density cargo, such as firewood or charcoal and is stacked high on the bike. A small 20 inch wheel is structurally stronger but has higher rolling resistance than a 26 inch or larger wheel.

Reactions and Revisions

Several meetings were held with many different Ugandans in Hoima to test ride the bicycle and discuss ways that it could be improved and features that they liked. Positive comments were received on its light weight, lower gear ratio, performance of linear brakes, riding comfort, color and its ability to carry loads. Negative reactions were regarding its different sized wheels, the lack of a chain guard, the rear platform low height, its need for foot pegs, and its lack of compatible parts availability. Everyone was open to new technologies, such as linear pull brakes and quick release skewers, as long as there were compatible parts available. “How much will it cost?” and “Can I get spare parts” were the most commonly asked questions. The bike performed well through many rides on the rough roads around Hoima and was used frequently with passengers.

This design was just issued a US Design Patent, and if a bicycle manufacturer is interested in licensing the design, they can contact me directly.

Hoima Cargo bicycle being made in Jinja

Tristan Allen is working in Jinja, Uganda with the Bicycle Sponsorship Project Workshop (http://bspw.org) and has set up a small frame building shop to create a small production run of the Hoima Cargo Bicycle. Here are some pictures that he just sent. Read his blog for more details. And they could use some funding for this to work, so please consider contributing to the project.

Hoima Bicycle wins Best Documentary at NW Projections Film Fest

Somehow, my documentary, Hoima Bicycle, won Best Documentary Short at the Northwest Projections Film Festival 2009. It was up against three other very interesting and quite different docs. Sonic Healing, Hope Art, and The Best Medicine.

Thanks to:

Thanks to Wilson Large and everyone who organized the festival and gave us an opportunity to show our work. Thanks to Mark Hardin, who without his presence and camera work, the documentary wouldn't have been possible. Thanks to my mom, Shirley Morris who planned, scheduled and prepared for the trip to Uganda. Without her, the whole project wouldn't have been possible. And thanks to my wife Karen, who was my assistant editor by watching earlier versions and suggesting changes. She also tolerated me working through the summer, unpaid, editing the movie for hours and hours.

Thanks to Western Washington for supporting the project with grants. And thanks to the members of First Presbyterian church for supporting the project through funds and prayer.

What's Next?

I'm considering submitting the movie to other festivals with the intention of raising awareness of the Ugandan boda-boda and increasing support for the next stage of the project. I also realized however, that I will need to re-record all of my narration because of a low buzzing that you can hear when shown in a real theatre with a real sound system. I guess using a cheap PC microphone (that I found in the closet) connected to my laptop didn't work.

What's Next with the Bicycle Project?

Tristan Allen is working in Jinja, Uganda right now with a bicycle NGO and has found bicycle parts that are available and could be used on the next version. He has also written a grant proposal for creating a small fabrication shop for building a short-run of 15 bicycles. To make that happen, he will need to raise about $2000 to cover materials, tools, and labor. This will be done through BSPW "Bicycle Sponsorship Project & Workshop", a Non-Governmental Organisation. If you would like to help, I will be collecting contributions.

Parallel to this, we will be approaching large bicycle manufacturers about licensing the design. This would be one way to make the bicycle in large quantities and achieve the low cost target of $80 USD. I'm stilling working on the design update, and will post a drawing soon.