A bike fitting that description won the title of "ultimate modern utility bike" at last month's Oregon Manifest's national bicycle design competition and grueling 50-mile course.
Part fashion show, part concept-vehicle demonstration, the mission was for 32 top bicycle innovators to create two-wheelers that, while not necessarily fit for mass production, may nonetheless generate ideas that could trickle down to the big-guy manufacturers.
The destiny imagined by Oregon Manifest is a world where bicycles are perceived less as frivolous weekend cruising tools or exercise conduits and more as convenient and comfortable vehicles for commuting, lugging stuff and actual travel.
Such bicycles would need to carry bigger loads—from luggage to social-networking apparatus—and may even need to be equipped with mini-engines for times when mileage overtakes leg muscles (or a commuter doesn't want to get his suit all sweaty).
Presided over by judges including Nike innovation chief Tinker Hatfield (an Air Jordan designer), Breezer Bikes founder Joe Breeze, Design Within Reach head Rob Forbes and Bicycling magazine editor Bill Strickland, the challenge included hauling boxes and groceries over patches of gravel and up 3,000-foot-elevation hills to test their contraptions.
The winner: that magenta model with a sound system (including an amplifier and speakers) fed from an iPhone that also serves as a navigation and communication device, and an electric assist battery for tough pedaling reprieves, by Portland, Ore., custom-bike builder Tony Pereira (see sidebar for other entries and details). Second place went to a retro-looking bike that had an extended back topped by a seat with a leather cushion and handlebars and foot rests for the passenger, made by industrial designer Silas Beebe and bike builder Rob Tsunehiro.While still a niche market, sales of "hybrids" and "cross" bikes have risen from 14 percent to 21 percent of all made since 2005, according to the National Bicycle Dealers Association. As evidenced by the rising tensions on the streets, the number of bike commuters in the U.S.'s 70 largest cities grew by more than 36 percent between 2005 and 2010, according to the League of American Bicyclists.
Those figures have caught the attention of conventional bicycle makers, who had previously equated bikes used for transportation with nostalgic-looking wagons in bright colors with wide handlebars and names like "Cruisers" and "Townies." Now they too are setting their sights on commuter-friendly cycles that can handle longer and bigger hauls.
Specialized bikes in Morgan Hill, Calif., now includes in its fleet so-called transit bikes, and subcategories that differentiate between "live" and "work" models. Similarly, the retro-design-favoring Electra bicycle company in Vista, Calif., debuted this year a line called Verse, an "everyday fitness and transportation bike collection." Wisconsin's Trek features a side-line under its Town brand, described as "workout machine, capable commuter, suburban warrior."
Count in Mr. Pereira, who glided across the finish line with his bicycle's speakers blasting Led Zeppelin. Envisioning a car-deprived world, his astute but less-than-revolutionary message seemed to be that sometimes the song doesn't remain the same.
Five bike prototypes you might see down the road
At last month's Oregon Manifest—a national design contest featuring handmade utility bicycles—32 inventor-contestants rolled out their visions of what the future may hold for two-wheelers. All bikes were required to have anti-theft systems, fenders and lights, while remaining upright on their kick stands despite heavy loads. The bicycle creators had to compete in a grueling 50-mile course without their contraptions or vehicles falling apart. The rest was left to the imagination.
1. A bicycle equipped with a lockable carbon fiber box mounted on a handlebar-attached front rack. It also featured a sound system, navigation and communication devices, and an electric assist system. From Portland, Ore., bike builder Tony Pereira (who won best-in-show design)
Daniel Cronin for The Wall Street Journal
A closer look at the bicycle design submitted by Rob Tsunehiro and Silas Beebe
2. A 9-foot-long "cargo" bicycle, featuring a super-stiff 48-pound frame and a wood platform that was able to maneuver agilely while carrying 400 pounds. FromPortland bicycle maker Metrofiets
3. A one-size-fits-all bicycle with an air pump built into the seat post, a removable front rack, bamboo fenders and handlebars as well as a cell-phone holder. From students and two teachers at Newark, N.J.'s Discovery Charter School
4. For the pedal-er who leaves for work at dawn and returns at dusk, a bike that carries three meals and is equipped with a back-rack and heavy-duty lunchbox. From True Fabrication, Austin, Texas
5. A Halo Coatings reflective-painted bicycle designed for carrying a passenger, which included a hub generator-charged battery pack with USB port for juicing cell phones and bicycle lights. It was also equipped with a built-in lock, leather straps for holding groceries and a front rack made out of recycled wood. Conceived by Portland designer Silas Beebe, and made by Rob Tsunehiro of Tsunehiro Cycles
No comments:
Post a Comment