Here’s the latest cycling product to hit Kickstarter. The Bike Blanket is a protective cover for the bicycle frame and is intended to be used when transporting the bicycle on a car rack or on the train. Or just when it’s leant up against the hallway wall.

The Bike Blanket is made from a “continuous membrane of protective material” and the one-piece design is claimed to make it easy to fit over the bicycle in just 60 seconds. It also wraps around the rear mech and chainset as well, to prevent them from getting damaged. 

bike blanket 2.jpg
bike blanket 2 (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)

The idea for the Bike Blanket came when cyclist Matt Franks was fed up with damaging his bicycle frame when transporting it, and didn’t want to use an expensive bike bag because it requires disassembly of the bicycle and wouldn’t fit in the car anyway. After speaking to other cyclists that apparently experience the same problem, he set about developing the Bike Blanket. 

Fitting the Bike Blanket looks, from the photos, to be quite easy. It fixes to the forks, then goes up over the stem and wraps around the seat post, stretches down to the rear mech and then loops, via the chainset, up the down tube and lastly fixes in place at the head tube. It covers the main parts of the frame and fork. It apparently takes just 60 seconds to install.

It’s designed to fit road bikes ranging in size from 54 to 58cm. The company plans to increase the range of sizes in the future, and will be adding mountain bike and hybrid bikes versions.

bike blanket 3.png
bike blanket 3 (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)

The best use for the Bike Blanket does appear to be for using with a car rack. If you do use a car rack, you probably take extra precaution with pipe lagging or old rags to ensure the bicycle, especially if racking several bikes, is protected and won’t get scratched or even worse, get damaged. 

bike blanket 5.jpeg
bike blanket 5 (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)

And when it’s not needed, the Bike Blanket rolls up very small, so it could be useful for cycling trips. 

The company has done all the design work and applied for a patent, it needs a successful Kickstarter campaign to put the Bike Blanket into production. You can currently pledge £39 and receive one of the first production versions, with an estimated delivery of July 2016.

bike blanket 6.jpg
bike blanket 6 (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)

Currently, the Bike Blanket has gained £906 of support, but it needs £13,750 to become a reality. With 22 days to go, it’s likely it’ll hit that target. We’ll be keeping an eye on it.

Check it out at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1322521520/the-bike-blanket-the-simple-easy-and-light-bike-pr