Why Triathlete Selected Ultiracer for Its Best Concept Design Award
By Shaun Cheon
Triathlete magazine has named our Ultiracer rollers concept the Best Concept Design in its 2020 Design Awards (Foster, 2020). The award recognizes an idea, not a finished product, and for a small team still developing that idea, it is a meaningful vote of confidence from a magazine that tests gear for some of the most demanding athletes in endurance sport.
The problem the concept set out to solve
Rollers have a loyal following among road cyclists. Because nothing holds the bike up, riders have to balance and pedal smoothly, which is why many use rollers to refine their pedal stroke and work the stabilizing muscles that a fixed trainer leaves idle. As Triathlete pointed out, many triathletes avoid them for one simple reason: the fear of riding off the edge and falling (Foster, 2020).
The Ultiracer concept was designed around that gap: keep the freedom and balance of riding on rollers, and take away the fear.
What Triathlete saw in the design
The magazine highlighted the elements that make the concept different from conventional rollers (Foster, 2020):
- Your own bike, held from the frame. A frame holder supports the bicycle at the down tube and top tube, so riders use the bike they already know. In this concept, the holder is designed for standard diamond frames.
- Drum rollers with a safety margin. The bike still rolls on drums, but the design keeps the rider from coming off the edges, the moment that makes so many people nervous on rollers.
- Steering as a game controller. A left and right position sensor connects the platform to virtual programs, so moving side to side on the rollers steers an avatar on screen while the rider stays upright.
Software still taking shape
Triathlete noted that the software was still at the concept stage, with ideas ranging from arcade-style games in which the cyclist becomes the controller to more active versions of today's virtual riding platforms. Our own concept materials show children playing games on the rollers, an early sign of how broad we hope the audience can be.
The magazine also made a timely observation: with more people training indoors than ever, a design that brings the balance and engagement of rollers to riders who would never have tried them could find a real audience.
What the award means to us
Design awards for concepts are a reminder of why we started. This design grew out of a long series of prototypes and a simple belief that riding indoors should feel more like riding outdoors: balanced, steerable and fun. A concept is not a finished product, and the design shown here may change as development continues, but recognition from Triathlete tells us the idea resonates with riders who know rollers best.
Earlier this year, Bicycling also picked Ultiracer as one of the most exciting cycling technologies at CES; you can read about it in our post on that recognition. We are grateful to both magazines, and we will keep working to turn the concept into something every rider can enjoy.
References
- Foster, C. (2020, March 23). Triathlete's 2020 Design Awards: Best Concept Design. Triathlete. https://www.triathlete.com/gear/triathletes-2020-design-awards-best-concept-design/