On track for innovation

Bringing a great idea for a sports product to the marketplace needs specific expertise. One Scottish entrepreneur found just that through an exciting new partnership between the outdoor sports community and academia.

Date : 25/08/2014

Tom Durham has been helping people to enjoy the great outdoors through his training and coaching business, Collective Training, for over four years, with a particular emphasis on mountain biking in Scotland.

He began designing and building bike trails under the trading name Collective Trax, in 2012, which naturally led to requests for him to build portable bike tracks for schools and events, allowing people to develop bike skills on site.

However, he found the traditional plywood portable tracks to be heavy, prone to water damage and difficult to move and store.

Like all great ideas, Tom was inspired to invent a better solution, but realised he needed help to develop the product idea and get it off the ground.

The right steer

Thanks to a partnership between Scottish Enterprise, the Scottish Funding Council, Developing Mountain Biking in Scotland and Edinburgh Napier University, Tom has been able to forge links with people with the skills, experience and contacts to help him overcome the challenges.

He has since worked with engineering students at Strathclyde University to develop and produce computer drawings for his prototype, which is being delivered to a manufacturer in time for him to take it to a major European bike conference.

“This forward way of thinking - bringing all of the expertise needed to develop a new product under one roof - is a great opportunity to grow the sport of mountain biking in Scotland and the UK,” he concludes.

Graeme McLean, of Developing Mountain Biking in Scotland, adds that Scotland may have world-class trails, but it needs to follow this up by promoting the development and testing of products and services in this country.

“The new £300,000 multi-use Mountain Bike Centre of Scotland at Glentress, which opened in June, now provides a focal point for businesses like Collective Training, so they can turn ideas for new products and services into reality,” he says.

“No other sports in the UK have this kind of support – we had to look to Finland to find a comparable model, where an initiative in the Arctic Circle worked with businesses to develop and test new equipment and clothing.

“Now we are not only building a network between local businesses, Scottish universities and organisations like Scottish Cycling, but we also tie in with key conferences here and in Europe, integrate with elite training camps and generally get the community to work together.”

Support for innovation

Danny Cowe, Business Development Executive at Napier University Edinburgh says the team is there to support anyone with an idea for an innovative mountain bike product or service.

“To date we’ve worked with companies in a range of sectors,” he says. “These range from tourism, coaching, video analysis, chain lubricants, bike manufacturers and clothing – in fact, anything that fits into the world of mountain biking. If you have an idea – get in touch. Our service is free and confidential.”

To find out more about how you can make your bright idea for a mountain bike product or service a reality, contact Danny Cowe, Business Development Executive, at mtb@napier.ac.uk.