Quick exercise: What do you NOT like about bikes? At first, it's hard to see the bike as anything but positive. But what about those rainy days, when your pant legs look like you've been wading in the ocean? Or the greasy chain that falls off every time you drop a curb? We all have our "bug list" about bikes, but the fun of cycling generally overrides (groan!) the list of things that keep us from getting out there on two wheels.

This month, we found inspiration in ways to transform the negative: the theft, the flat tires and the clothing malfunctions. Check out a mind map from IDEO's Peter Macdonald of what we'd love to change about our rides.

Click to make it big

And then we brainstormed to talk about how we could address those categories. Over pizza, we asked a group of about 15 IDEOers to gather for a brainstorm to address some of those irks:

-How might we increase rider safety?
-How can we design a bike that can help carry loads of different sizes?
-How can we deter theft?
-How can we make bikes sexy?

Paul Sadoff from Rock Lobster joined us at the studio for some synthesis, and now we're close to determining some of the categories of elements we'd like to incorporate into the final design.

Next steps: reduce the wild ideas, abstractions, and concepts to concrete design directions and start prototyping. The team's anxious to take pen to paper, get in the shop, and get our hands dirty.

People from IDEO gather in the café for the brainstorm

Team member Adam Reineck guides the ideas as they flow in

No idea is too wild...

Garth loves biking so much he rode his beloved fixed gear to the brainstorm

Rock Lobster's Paul Sadoff joins the IDEO team to review the brainstorm results and talk about what's next...

Classic bicycle photography + red wine = inspiration