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For the joy of a smooth ride
Bringing personal mobility into harmony with environmentally responsible behaviour is a guiding principle behind the company and brand aidoo. Founded by husband-and-wife team Pascale and Turan Dardagan, the company develops, manufactures and markets innovative, future-ready mobility and transport concepts centred on bicycle trailers. Its highly versatile solutions, which received a Brandnew Finalist Award in the e-bike category at the ISPO sports trade fair in Munich in 2013, among other accolades, accommodate payloads ranging from 40 kg to 100 kg.
The challenge: A compact damping solution to smooth out suspension peaks
In the interview, inventor, developer and designer Turan Dardagan describes aidoo’s customers as people buying their second trailer after being dissatisfied with the handling of their first purchase. He briefly notes that he belonged to this target group himself before launching aidoo, explaining: “Conventional bicycle trailers either have no suspension at all, use elastomers that tend to harden over time, or are fitted with leaf springs. If telescopic springs are used, there is always some breakaway resistance. What we actually want is to absorb the small vibrations encountered on the road, which is precisely what a rubber torsion spring does.”
During his early trailer modifications, the expert quickly discovered that rubber generally offers good spring characteristics and that rubber torsion springs in particular can be maintenance-free, durable components that even eliminate the need for additional bearings. He explains: “However, rubber provides only limited damping and can contribute to oscillation in the chassis. So we needed something to smooth out the peaks in the rubber suspension’s response. We initially experimented with products from suppliers of mountain bike shock absorbers. However, these took up too much installation space and provided too much damping, as they were designed for just one wheel—the rear wheel.”
Since aidoo trailers had been designed with two wheels from the outset, the search continued until a local automotive parts retailer offered a crucial tip during the prototype phase in 2012.
The solution: A partner for customised oil dampers
The automotive specialists recommended considering industrial gas springs and oil dampers for integration into aidoo’s unique independent wheel suspension. For Managing Director Pascale Dardagan, contacting HAHN Gasfedern GmbH in Aichwald near Stuttgart was a natural choice, and not just because of its geographical proximity.
Part of the Stabilus Group since 2016, this specialist brand ranks among the industry’s leading companies thanks to its uncompromising quality, innovative products and absolute customer focus. The specialist in gas compression springs, gas tension springs and dampers has consistently reinforced this position since the 1960s. Today, its highly qualified team of more than 250 people supports companies of all sizes worldwide with proven experience, expertise and state-of-the-art machinery. The subsequent collaboration with aidoo also illustrates HAHN’s particular strength in developing customised solutions.
Asked about her experience with HAHN, Pascale Dardagan highlights a shared learning process: “When production volumes take precedence over everything else, innovation cannot enter series production. Once an industrial company understands this, new business opportunities open up for both sides.”
In the collaboration between a small manufacturer such as the aidoo project company and HAHN Gasfedern GmbH, a subsidiary of Stabilus, the global market leader in gas springs, the partners agreed to offer the oil dampers as standard components of aidoo bicycle trailers, rather than solely as accessories. This brought production volumes and pricing together in a coherent small-series production concept, which also includes machine-applying the aidoo logo to every damper.
Asked how HAHN also impressed from a technical perspective, Turan Dardagan replies: “The piston and housing of this series can be customised, so it could be integrated into aidoo’s independent wheel suspension without having to change the existing engineering drawings. Different orifice diameters allow the series to provide different damping rates. At aidoo, for example, customers can choose payload capacities ranging from 40 kg to 100 kg and receive the appropriate oil dampers for the load being carried. To my knowledge, no other bicycle trailer offers this.
“And when you ride with an aidoo for the first time, you barely notice that you are towing anything. The ride feels more like driving a car: no jolting, constant ground contact and no chassis oscillation. Higher speeds are possible, together with greater riding safety. Our customers are completely satisfied with this, particularly when transporting dogs or delicate goods such as electronics or glass bottles.”
Looking ahead: Oil dampers for bicycle campers and a semi-trailing arm axle
Designer Dardagan points to another advantage: HAHN’s oil dampers are also available in stainless steel versions, with a choice of V2A or V4A grades. Asked about further potential for optimisation and growth, he says there is always room for both, explaining: “We currently offer a dedicated axle design for bicycle campers that combines all the advantages of the aidoo chassis and allows campers to design their own body structure around it. There is still scope to optimise the component supply to offer a wide range of mounting options for customised builds. Oil dampers with adjustable compression and rebound damping would be useful here. This is something we can explore with HAHN in the future. We are also currently discussing a semi-trailing arm axle in-house.”
One thing is certain about these innovations: whichever ideas Projekthaus aidoo e.k., based in Seelbach near Lahr in Germany’s Black Forest, brings to life in the future, it will continue to build on the success of its leak-free quick coupling, which allows an aidoo bicycle trailer to be attached to and detached from the towing vehicle in seconds. Further integration of customised braking and damping solutions from HAHN Gasfedern GmbH in Aichwald, Baden-Württemberg, also promises exciting developments.
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