Apartment friendly Quicktwist stem gears up for distribution and licensing
The Quicktwist handlebar stem, designed by Andy Bullock, founder of the Urbancyclo brand, is currently looking to partner with a parts and accessories company for an exclusive worldwide distribution deal.
A former Satchi and Satchi art director and Oxford University MBA student mentor, Bullock has a long history in product design, something which he has now channelled into improving the real-world usage of bikes in urban spaces.
The patent pending Quicktwist answers a problem many living in cities have with cycle storage. Via a locking latch, the user can rotate the bike’s handlebar by up to 90-degrees, effectively reducing the bike’s width by around 70%. This has the added perk of enabling users to bring the bike indoors, thus locking out potential thieves.
“Lets face it,” says Bullock, “handlebars are the major obstacle to being able to neatly store or park a bike up against a wall, they simply make a cycle far too awkward when not in use.”
First coming on to the scene as a prototype in 2016, the product is a straight swap out for the rider’s existing stem and can even be retrofitted to older bikes with narrow steerer tubes thanks to available adaptors.
“Resistance to design innovation in manufacturing is legendary and the cycle design business is no exception,” adds Bullock, “but we are hoping the totally unique nature of the product, with no commercial competition, and the offer of worldwide exclusivity to distribute and market will appeal to a more progressive bike accessory brand”.
Quicktwist has been engineered by a former Williams and Benetton F1 design engineer in lightweight anodised alloy and will carry all the usual safety marks of BS/EN/ISO testing.
“We welcome contact from any interested companies,” concludes Bullock. “This is a unique opportunity for the right brand to actually create and own a new product sector, which is a very rare occurrence indeed in today’s sophisticated markets”.
To make contact, email here.
