A single handed bicycle braking system was designed to meet the physical needs of Lauren, a nine-year old girl with a limited use of her left hand.  This system allows Lauren to operate both the front and back brakes with only her right hand, decreasing her braking distance to stop while riding, thereby improving her level of safety.

The fourth year design team of Katie Bell, Andrew Morris, Anina Sakaguchi and Micha Wallace entered their design in the Canadian Design competition and won first place! In addition, they won second place in the international competition!!

The competition was sponsored by the James Dyson Foundation, which was set up by the inventor of Dyson vacuum cleaners.

The Single Handed Bicycle Braking System is able to actuate the back brake independently, as well as the front and back brake combined.  The appearance of the lever is similar to standard brake levers, and its operation is intuitive.  Test results indicate that the Single Handed Braking System is able to match and surpass current braking solutions, thereby proving its effectiveness.

The Single Handed Braking System has the ability to operate the back brake independently, or in combination with the front brakes.  It is essentially a uni-lever system; incorporating two levers into one handle.   The levers curve smoothly to fit the natural curve of the hand, including a small hollow in which to place the index finger.  To operate the back brake alone, the user will depress the inside lever at the index finger hollow, causing the rear brake to activate.  To activate both brakes, the outside lever will be depressed.

This project is unique in the fact that the final design will have a direct impact on Lauren’s lifestyle.  Although this project is individualistic in nature, the design has the potential for application throughout the bicycling industry, such as use in the police force, and high performance mountain biking as well as individuals with other physical disabilities.