When the chain came off Wayne Taylor’s bike as he cycled to work he had no idea it would be the inspiration for a business that is about to star on Dragons’ Den.
The 34-year-old is a chief technology officer for two tech firms in his native Norwich – a FinTech called Thyngs and SaaS specialist Starboard Systems – when his career took an unexpected twist as he cycled to work.
“The chain on my bike came off and putting it back on not only made me late for work but it left my clothes covered in grease and oil,” he said.
“It happens to cyclists all the time and I was convinced the solution was in technology and the result is Rehook.”
Rehook is a tool which weighs 20 grams and is 12cm in length and helps people put a cycle chain back on without getting their hands and clothes dirty.
The entrepreneur has already sold 15,000 of the products for £12.99 and on Sunday will be seeking investment from the Dragons when he appears on TV’s Dragons’ Den.
Taylor isn’t allowed to talk about what happened until after the show but admitted to being ‘nervous’ to pitching to the Dragons but said he was seeking investment to scale the business.
The father-of-two and his wife Anna Taylor-Maughan first developed a prototype on a 3D printer while juggling full-time jobs, looking after their two sons and fixing up their house.
“As a CTO I’m used to making software but I was convinced that technology could help me create a product to help cyclists like me,” he said.
“We’re being encouraged to get on our bikes and leave our cars at home so I know the potential market is massive.
“As the name suggests the product is essentially a hook that means you never need to touch the chain with your hands.”
The device attaches to the bike and has split opinion with some people describing the tool as ‘invaluable’ while critics have branded it ‘completely pointless’.
The show will be broadcast on Sunday 1 September on BBC Two and will be available on BBC iPlayer afterwards.