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Bicycle Glass Broom

 Sweep glass out of your way
  (+6)
(+6) 		  [vote for,
against]

I ride my bike along the same route every day, and every day for weeks on end I find myself veering around the same patch of broken glass. Eventually a patch of glass will dissipate after a few thoughtful motorists have swerved into the bike lane and driven through it, but by that time other, less thoughtful motorists have thrown more beer bottles out the window at other points along my route.

My idea is to attach a broom to the front of the bike, which, with the flip of a lever, can be deployed to sweep the glass harmlessly off the road as I ride through it.

(It would also work for rabbits.)

Technical Details:

The broom is about 15 cm wide, with bristles about 5 cm long. It is normally held off the ground for reduced friction. It is angled to the right so it sweeps the glass into the gutter or ditch.

Since a single deployment would clear a path that could be used on subsequent days, I estimate that I would only need to use it once or twice a week along my daily round trip of 8 miles. It would prevent about 2 punctures per year and double the life of the tires.

—AO, Sep 03 2003

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       Now all we to do is get you a snowplow attachment for your bike.
—DeathNinja, Sep 03 2003
   

       Don't forget the extra weight on the front tire--more wear, but overall, you probably come out ahead. +
—oxen crossing, Sep 03 2003
   

       Can we make it so we can choose which way the head is angled for those of us in the UK?
—Morals, Sep 03 2003
   

       I don't see why not, maybe you could even have the ability to do it on the fly, for those days you feel like riding down the wrong side of the road.   

       I imagine you'd look like a little bit of a gimp riding around with this thing though.
—RoboBust, Sep 03 2003
   

       Nice idea, but you got the technogery all wrong. The BGB would be a small third wheel with attached broom, mounted in front of your front wheel. Normally it would ride along just above the ground. You would have a third shift level on your bike, which when engaged, would drive the BGB wheel to spin and in the process lower slightly. Obviously the wheel would spin the the reverse of the direction of your front wheel. When deployed, the BGB would continue to clear a path in front of your bike until you shifted it out of action.
—bungston, Sep 03 2003
   

       bungston,..........................You have it absolutely right! I had the exact thought, just as I began reading the first paragraph of the proposal. Great description on how this thing would work, too. It would be rather simple to build and it would work. I really like the robust sweeping/whisking motion that only a spinning wheel could provide.
—Cosmo, Sep 04 2003
   

       If someone had thought of this idea in the 1920's and if such a contraption had gained popular support. I think the original idea of the front-mounted broom would have affectionatley been described as "Mr.Mustache- Cycle"   

       OR: Bicycle with a "Grandads' Mustache"..........skiddoo!
—Cosmo, Sep 04 2003
   

       bungston, a spinning bristled wheel would do a better job of sweeping, but I think it would need to be driven by a belt rather than engaging directly with the front tire. Otherwise the sweeper wheel would have to have a nonbristled ring to engage with the front wheel, which would leave an unswept gap.
—AO, Sep 04 2003
   

       One last thought:................how about a blast of water? A simple hand-pressure bulb mounted on the handlebars and a small water pouch mounted or hung from the frame. Less parts and less friction. Pouch holds reserve of water. Tubing directs a water blast four inches in front of the front tire..........Voila!
—Cosmo, Sep 04 2003
   

       [AO] are you Canadian?
—k_sra, Sep 04 2003
   

       [k_sra] What could possibly make you suspect me of being Canadian? Eh?
—AO, Sep 04 2003
   

       Have 2 bristle wheels, one driven by the wheel directly, another narrower bristle wheel in front of it to cover the groove. The second one could be belt driven off the first. The belt would create a gap in both the first and second brush (if you're dumb enough not to mount it out to the side with a long shaft), requiring a third bush and a second belt. The second belt would be mounted in front of gap-free section of the first brush, so now you have no gap.
—oxen crossing, Sep 04 2003
   

       [AO] - although I really favor the [imagonna] three brush cycle for its thoroughness, I agree that contact drive (like those little light generators) is not ideal. Rather than a belt, a chain would be better, as existing derailleur technology could be adapted.   

       BGM's with heavy duty brushes could be deployed as street sweepers instead of those putzy little trucks.
—bungston, Sep 04 2003
   

       A chain driven sweeper would be ideal if this was used extensively, but since it should only be used for very short periods of time, it seems like a friction drive would be nice. To avoid having a bare spot on the sweeper wheel, the friction drive surface should be mounted on the right edge of the sweeper wheel (left in england),and the sweeper wheel should angle across the path of the bicycle wheel. This way it sweeps the junk forward and to the side.   

       The friction surface on the sweeper wheel should be slightly conical so it engages well, and if it has a smaller diameter than the rest of the sweeper wheel, the sweeper can be made to spin faster to more effectively sweep the junk way.
—scad mientist, Sep 04 2003
   

       Not sure about the glass, but it does have potential for rabbit removal so +
—nichpo, Sep 05 2003
   

       Why not just puncture-proof tyres?
—FloridaManatee, Sep 05 2003
   

       //What could possibly make you suspect me of being Canadian? //   

       There are not as many bike lanes in the USA. Just wondered...
—k_sra, Sep 05 2003
   

       [k_sra] //not as many bike lanes in the USA// That’s true, I don’t remember seeing a lot of bike lines until I came to California.   

       [FloridaManatee] //puncture-proof tyres?// With my Kevlar tyres I can usually run over a small piece of glass with no puncture, however, every now and the one does make it through, especially if it sticks in the rubber and starts to work its way through the Kevlar layer. Also, the pieces of glass that don’t puncture the tyre leave little slashes in the rubber.
—AO, Sep 05 2003
   

       I wanted one of these yesterday, Sydney Park's a nightmare.
—neilp, Dec 21 2004
   

       all the flats I've gotten on the bike have been from things I would not have seen, esp. in time to deploy this. (nails & thorns have punctured many of my tires, never glass, but with those "toughy" tire inserts, my tires have been impenetrable.)
—sophocles, Dec 21 2004
   

       //It would also work for rabbits//   

       Pictures rabbits scampering along the bike lane, brooms deployed to stop glass getting in their paws. Or are the rabbits on bicycles too?
—spidermother, Aug 06 2008
   

       I think it should be two rollers, with a V shape to them, like the cattle catchers on trains. Their rear-most ends could be bare, and engage directly to the outer edges of the front tire.
—ye_river_xiv, Oct 25 2008
   


 

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