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Published 20 July 2009

A final-year student at the University of Brighton has won a top design award for finding a way to stop bikes crashing to the ground when leant against walls.

Jamie Douglas (pictured right) has designed the 'Ninety Bicycle' which has a 90-degree rotating handlebar that flattens the bike's profile into a single linear form, making it more secure when propped up.

Jamie, 23, said: "The idea came to me after three years of living in student accommodation and bashing into handlebars of bikes propped up in narrow corridors. I collected quite a few bruises."

"The new design tucks the handlebars flat. It prevents many collisions and stops bikes falling over. I ride the bike all the time and it works."

The Ninety Bicycle, which bridges the gap between folding and fixed frames, also includes a new security system - a lock concealed inside the seatpost that complements the chain-guard. It doubles as a D-frame locking device.

Jamie, who comes from Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, won the New Designs Virgin Atlantic Airways Red Hot Design Award at the New Designers 2009 exhibition in London.

The judges described the Product Design BSc(Hons) graduate as a designer with flare and one "focused on improving the user-experience and making life better".

Jamie won a placement with Virgin Atlantic's team designing a new cabin, plus two Virgin flight tickets. He said he intends to fly "somewhere exotic", possibly Tokyo or New York, before looking for employment.

Dr Tim Katz, of the School of Environment and Technology, said: "Jamie and all other students put on an excellent show. They were among 2,500 design graduates and definitely held their own amongst the best in the country."

Dr Katz said support from academic and technical staff made the success possible.