I first thought of this during the Ford Fiesta in January but this weekends WRT has confirmed the need for a kickstarter.com project.
The idea is to solve the Welsh gate problem.
- The ones so broken you have to park your bike to lift the gate out of the way.
- The ones where your befuddled brain takes ages to work out how to open them.
- The ones you find open but are not sure if that was just the rider who has disappeared out of sight leaving it for you.
- The ones that the sheep can get through but you can't
- the ones where you stand in a pile of manure trying to undo a knot while the rain pours down.

So the kickstarter project is for

- Carbon fibre gates, easy on the hinges, won't rust, light to move.
- sealed ceramic bearings in the hinges for reliable opening and closing
- Bluetooth operated latch and gate automation
- an Android phone app which you preload with gate tokens. As you approach the gate it opens automatically, deducts one gate token, and then closes the gate.
- there is a market place for gate tokens. The landowner gets the gate token fee (less an administrative %) and if they want to encourage more cyclists they offer gate token discounts.
- obviously there is a farmer version of the app which automatically handles gate openings for all their farm machinery.

We will then plot all the gates on Google maps and make them available as a Garmin point of interest category.

I'm looking for sponsorship from the likes of Alpkit, WildcatGear, Bear Bones for the rewards when people commit to this kickstarter project.

So who is in?

I'm in!

Lol - gate utopia

Great idea Dave

Let me be the first to pledge 20p

But.....

Might be hard task to change all the gates; so what about adapting the idea a little. Same problem different solution.

The RapiFlate™ would inflate you tyres from 20-30psi to 500psi in 0000.2 of a second using airbag and ejector seat technology.

The sudden inflation of the tyre would cause the bike & rider to leap 6 feet in the air ( enough to clear your average 5 bar )

RapiFlate™ would allow mediocre riders to bunnyhop gates like I do.

Unless you do an iOS version I'm out!

I've got a belter of an idea aswell

Where enough traffic warrants it and the cost / benefit works we could sell a product that animals can't walk over.

Maybe some slats over a hole that a bike would roll over but animals would struggle with.

There's a country estate in the Cotswolds where they've built tubular steel ramps over the walls (to allow the quad bikes to follow the hunt / save them having to open the gates on their quads). Brilliant to ride over, wish I had a picture to post.

I'll happily donate. Get it done. :D

I remember a solar powered farm gate near Richmond, Yorkshire. Ride up, hit the button, opens and closes all by itself.

What about a device that creates gates for you as you travel?

Nice idea. On one trip the traditional 'kissing gate' name was mentioned when I swore at the design of them (just too many of them.. it was on a footpath, but anyway). They were then re-named 'f*cking gates'.



The offender.

Thanks for all the responses!
I'm now starting an 8 day silent retreat so signing off the internet, back soon

How about a kickstarter with balls

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/lat ... ght-170170

Funnily enough there is a gate on the track out of Tomintoul on the Cairngorms loop with an infra red sensor and self opener. Just about shat meself the first time I approached it and it suddenly started opening of its own accord!