A new venture from Loughborough College entrepreneurs is set to offer more style on two wheels than Bradley Wiggins.
The student team behind Be-Uni, which stands for Be Unique, have had an overwhelming response to their plan to offer practical bikes that come in stand-out colour combinations chosen exclusively by the owner.
An enterprise event at Highcross in Leicester saw their stand inundated with excited potential customers eager to discover more.
Loughborough College students Alex Fowkes and Louisa Hickling-Kirk, both in their first year of a Foundation Degree in Events Management and Andrew Wilson, in his first year of a Foundation Degree in Sports Science and Sports Management, are looking at producing a value for money, low-maintenance bike which will be ideal for urban use, lightweight and, with its distinctive look, will hopefully discourage thieves.
“People from all over Leicestershire attended the Young Enterprise event and it was exciting to see how positive the response was from the general public,” said Andrew Wilson.
“They loved the idea of customising the bike to suit them and that it would be affordable – it’s certainly more economical, not to mention greener, than a bus, car or motorbike - is perfect for riding on roads and pavements, has a low risk of punctures and there is no messing around with gears.
“It has a lightweight frame so is easy to carry, for example upstairs in a student house or halls, or out to a shed or garage, and we are also hoping the stand-out, one-off look will turn off bike thieves.”
With their added support from Charles Pritchard – in the final year of his BSc in Engineering– Tina Smith, Foundation Degree Course Manager at Loughborough College, says the Be-Uni team has an ideal combination of hands on and business expertise.
“We ensure our students have the opportunity to work with specialists in College to build enterprise skills that will set them on the road to setting up their own business or boost their chances of employment.
“With Be-Uni’s mix of hands on and business course knowledge they have a great team who have planned an outstanding product and it is very exciting to see them moving forward with funding and manufacture."
Steve Arscott , who works with Loughborough College and is Young Enterprise Manager for Leicestershire, is Be-Uni’s business consultant. “This will benefit the students, the College, the community and the economy and we are doing all we can to help make this fly."
Loughborough College student Andrew Wilson is pictured at Be-Uni’s stand at the Highcross event with volunteer Chanelle Phillips
Vist the Be-Uni facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Be-Uni/311247662337370?ref=hl