SAEINDIA Bicycle Design Challenge 2026–27
SAEINDIA Southern Section
📌About the Event
SAEINDIA Bicycle Design Challenge 2026–27, 9th Edition is a national-level engineering design competition by SAEINDIA Southern Section. It challenges engineering students to design, analyse, fabricate, and test a sustainable human-powered utility bicycle focused on clean mobility, ergonomics, lightweight design, affordability, and mass-market scalability.
ℹ️ Event Details
- Theme: Engineering the Future of Clean Mobility
- Mode of conduct: Hybrid / multi-stage format
- Online registration through SAEISS/registration portal
- Design and review rounds involving CAD, FEA, BOM and technical evaluation
- Final physical track trials with dynamic tests and prototype evaluation
- Team size: Maximum 7 members
- Core task: Teams must build a human-powered bicycle prototype based on specified design, ergonomics, sustainability and performance rules.
- Focus areas: Sustainable mobility, bicycle design, prototype development, vehicle engineering, ergonomics, cost optimisation and manufacturing feasibility
📅 Important Dates
- Registration deadline: 9 June 2026
- Hands-on session on material selection, reverse engineering, CAD design and vehicle engineering
- Preliminary Design Review: July 2026
- Mid-Term Fabrication Review: August 2026
- Final Event & Track Trials: 3–4 October 2026
- Final event activities: Dynamic manoeuvres, slalom/track trials, business pitch and final winner announcements
🎯 Eligibility & Rules
- Eligibility: Open to engineering students interested in mobility engineering, vehicle design and prototype development.
- Team requirement: Teams can have up to 7 members from the same or different engineering disciplines.
- Multiple teams: Multiple teams from the same college/institution are allowed, but each team must work on an independent design model.
- Vehicle rule: The bicycle must be strictly human-powered; electric assist or hybrid electric assist is not allowed unless specified in a separate category.
- Material allowance: Frame materials may include steel, aluminium, carbon fibre, titanium and bamboo composites, subject to the official rulebook.
- Design targets: Teams are expected to work toward 25+ km/h speed, under 15 kg weight and cost under ₹10,000.
- Evaluation process:
- Round 1 & 2: Preliminary design and evaluation
- Round 3 & 4: Fabrication and business presentation
- Round 5: Final dynamic event and track trials
- Technical evaluation: Teams will be assessed on CAD design, FEA analysis, ergonomic simulation, BOM, cost optimisation, prototype build quality, dynamic performance and sustainability.
🏆 Prize Details and Value
- Awards: Recognition in categories such as Best Design, Innovation, Performance and Sustainability.
- Industry exposure: Participants get a chance to present their design to industry experts and technical jury members.
- Hands-on learning: Students gain practical experience in CAD, FEA, fabrication, testing, cost planning and mobility product development.
- Networking: The event includes opportunities to connect with industry leaders, innovators and mobility professionals.