Peugeot B1K concept bike

Wow...this past week in Dongguan passed very quickly. Right now, I am getting ready for a flight north to the Shanghai area, but I have a few minutes for a quick post.

Bike Rumor mentioned this Peugeot B1K concept bike a couple of days ago (see more renderings there). Much like the flashy concept "fantasy" vehicles that are common in the auto industry, I doubt that this design was intended to ever be produced. More likely it was created to generate excitement and gain some needed attention for a brand that is poised for a revival these days. Though not intended for production, concept designs like this do serve a real purpose for designers (aside from creating flashy images for marketing). Cutting loose a bit and creating something that is purely conceptual from time to time helps to inspire the design team and (forgive me in advance for the cliche) "keep the creative juices flowing". That creative energy can translate to a really nice, and saleable, product line down the road if the company chooses to puts the resources in place for the product development team to succeed.

It is pretty obvious that this exact bike won't be coming to a bike shop near you anytime soon, but it is an interesting form which could indicate a very general design direction to come for Peugeot. They certainly need to do more to revive themselves than rebadge off the shelf steel, ti, aluminum, or carbon frames as some other older brands have done. One other old French brand comes to mind...I'll let you guess which one . These days they make perfectly adequate bikes in the four materials I just mentioned, but there is really nothing special about any of the bikes, so they really have no choice but to compete solely on price in every category. It is kind of sad to see a brand with a long history and a well known name and race to the bottom like that with a low price strategy. Regardless of the design direction they choose, I certainly hope that Puegeot can do better.

I need to run now, but for a more thorough perspective on the importance of design in the bike industry, check out Chris Matthews' recent "Bicycles & Business Design" post. As is always the case at Chris' blog, the post is well written and insightful.

IBDC entries and a few other links

I am in China this week and next. My schedule is pretty tight, so I won’t have a lot of free time for the blog while I am traveling. Right now though, it is the middle of the night and I am still not adjusted to this time zone, so I will pass a long a few links of interest.

The shortlist of IBDC (International Bicycle Design Competition) entries has been announced. The winners will be announced at the Taipei International Cycle Show, which takes place March 17th -20th. The design pictured here is AutoVelo, by Eric Stoddard of Speed Studio Design. You may remember Eric from his excellent coverage of the Taipei Cycle Show for Bicycle Design in 2009. Hopefully he will get a chance to share some of his thoughts from the show with you again this year.

Jeongche Yoon sent me some information about her 'BiCX' Self-recharging folding bicycle design. The e-bike’s “rechargeable lithium-ion-polymer battery never can be recharged by ordinary electric outlets in home, but only recharged by human power such as pedaling and free-riding.” Read more about the design at Jeongche’s website or at Yanko Design.

Monocle recently posted this "bicycle design" video clip which has been getting a lot of attention on design sites lately. It contains a couple of interesting short interviews, so take a look if you haven’t already seen it.

Designboom points us to the urbike design by Eduard Sentís in a recent post.

Velogogo recently posted these wooden seat posts photos by Yohei Morita. Check out some of the other wooden bikes and parts made by Mr Sueshiro Sano, in Yohei’s photostream.

Switching gears to race bikes, I want to mention the 3 part “bikes of the Tour Down Under” series at Road Bike Action. Check out part 1, part2, and part 3 for great shots of the bikes that some of the maojr pro teams are riding this season. I really like those Sky Pinarellos, but I wouldn’t be too picky if someone offered me any one of these machines.

I could ramble on with a few more links, but it just passed 2:30 am here in Dongguan. I have meetings early this morning, so it is time to log off and get a little sleep…or at least try to sleep. The 12 to 13 hour time difference here is always a tough one for me to adjust to.

Batavus BUB review

You may remember that the Batavus Urban Bike (BUB) was one of the new designs that really caught my attention at Interbike. Soon after the show, I was lucky enough to get the chance to try out one of the prototypes for a few weeks. Before I get into my thoughts about the time I spent with the bike, I will remind you of the BUB background information that I posted by Eric Kamphof, the General manager at Fourth Floor Distribution. You can also read more about the BUB at the Renaissance Bikes website. Renaissance Bikes was the place where I picked up my loaner BUB, and I can tell you that they have some other interesting bikes as well. While I am throwing out links, I will also mention that Arleigh, AKA Bike Shop Girl, also had a BUB prototype to review at the same time I did. See what she had to say about it at her site, Commute By Bike. Finally, you can see the rest of my pictures in my Batavus BUB photoset on Flickr.

As mentioned, the bike I tried was a prototype. The production models will be available Spring of this year. Retail for the BUB will be $550 with a 3 speed Shimano drivetrain and a coaster brake (the prototype I had was a singlespeed). The front and rear racks and lights that can be seen on the bike I tested are all optional. Pricing is still TBD for the racks, but it is estimated that they will be about $50 each. Two frame styles, step through or standard, will be available in gloss or matte black, battleship grey, raw silver, red (matte), or white with white tires (like my test bike). You can see some of the different colors and styles in my photos from the Batavus booth at Interbike.

Before I get into my experiences with the bike, I will reiterate something that many of you already know. As much as I like urban or city bikes from a design standpoint, those are not the types of bikes that I ride on a daily basis. I have mentioned before that my commuter bikes have what many people would consider fairly aggressive positioning, with the seat way above the handlebars. When I first received the BUB, I resisted the temptation to lower the stem as much as possible. Instead, I wanted to get used to that bolt upright “omafiets” position. On the first few rides, I tended to instinctively bend my elbows and lean forward, as I always tend to do on bikes like this. A few times, I even found myself gripping the middle of the handlebars right next to the stem, as if I was trying to ease down into some sort of Graeme Obree like position on a bike that was clearly not designed to be ridden that way. I know that the completely upright position has its benefits; increased comfort for shorter rides and a better view of the road. Still, the position that I am accustomed to from many, many years of racing and road cycling is second nature, so it was not easy to resist that tendency to lean forward a bit. I felt a little strange with my back completely perpendicular to the ground the first few rides, but by the end of the 3 weeks that I had the bike, I was able to cruise around comfortably upright. I wouldn’t want to ride 40 miles like that, but that is not the point of a bike like this. For people who are not interested in cycling as a sport or recreational activity, but want to replace short trips, especially in an urban environment, the BUB’s riding position is ideal.

Unlike the riding position, the lack of hand brakes was something that I never really did get used to. The coaster brake did work great and I imagine would be maintenance free, but for slowly modulating speed I much prefer a hand-operated brake of some sort. In a fairly flat place like Holland, coaster brakes are fine (I guess the same could be said for NYC and many other urban areas where a bike like this would be used). I have ridden Dutch bikes with only a coaster brake many miles on flat terrain with no concerns at all. Here it was a little different though. At one point, I felt a little uncomfortable flying down a very steep hill next to parked cars without a brake lever under my finger. I think the addition of a hand brake might make the bike better for the US market, at least for places where the terrain tends to be hilly.

Speaking of features I would like to see added to the BUB, a set of water bottle braze-ons would also be nice. I realize that the bike is not intended for long distance riding, but even for a 2-5 mile commute or shopping trip, it is nice to have a place for water. Sure you could store a bottle in a front basket or something, but I think water bottle braze-ons would be a nice (and inexpensive) addition to this bike for the US market.

I never rode the BUB to work. My commute involves riding on a couple of busy stretches of suburban two-lane road and that is not really what this bike is designed for. On those sections, I prefer to get down in the drops and ride fairly fast. For casually riding around town though, I really enjoyed the BUB. The bike is very comfortable (thanks in part to those fat Schwalbe Big Apple tires) and overall it had a very sturdy feel. The bike, even with its aluminum frame, is definitely not a lightweight. I like the fact that it feels a bit overbuilt...it is nice to know that can take whatever the rider and the urban environment can dish out. For a short urban commute, shopping, running errands, riding to the coffee shop, etc., I think a bike like the BUB would be a great choice. Of course, that is no big revelation considering the fact that city bikes like this are common in places where short trips by bike are the norm.

Aesthics are subjective, but I think the BUB looks great. I wasn’t the only one though. It turned a few heads and a couple of people asked about it when I rode it downtown. Personally, I like the bent “paperclip” design element where the top tube and down tube meet the head tube. It is primarily an aesthetic detail, but to me it is what gives the bike its personality. As I said in my Interbike recap, the BUB has several nice design details, especially when you consider the retail price. I was a little disappointed that my test model was missing its “mood meter”, a little red plastic dial that fits into a hole in the frame. The “mood meter” may be more of a conversation piece than anything else, but I think it adds to the bikes personality. There is certainly nothing wrong with a fun little design detail like that to set the bike apart.

Though the BUB looks a bit different from the typical omafiets, it has a lot in common with the traditional bikes that are in use in Holland, as well as other parts of Europe. I already mentioned the overall sturdy feel and the geometry, but many of the features are the same as well. The BUB includes nice stout fenders (not the flimsy kind that are likely to bend out of shape and rub against the tire) and a chaingaurd that pretty well encloses the entire front of the drivetrain. The original design included a full chain enclosure like most other Batvus models. That would have been nice, but it turned out to be cost prohibitive for a bike at the BUB's price point. Another included feature is an integrated rear wheel lock. The lock immobilizes the rear wheel to serve as a deterrent against thieves looking for an easy target. Wheel locks like this are not very common in the U.S., but you do see them on utilitarian bikes in Holland and other parts of Europe. It doesn’t replace a U lock or chain if you plan to leave the bike unattended, but it is a nice feature if you ride to a café or shop where the bike is in view.

The front and rear racks (to be sold as accessories) are very sturdy and look great on the bike. Arleigh mentioned in her review that the oversized tubing on the racks was too big for the clips on a few different panniers that she tried, but I had no problem attaching my Specialized panniers or my rear rack cargo net.

Overall, I really enjoyed my time with the BUB prototype and I truly do think it is something that the US market needs. It is a basic and functional transportation-oriented bike, but styled in a way that I think will appeal to a different segment of the market than more traditional upright bikes. Time will tell, but I expect the BUB to do pretty well…I certainly hope it does.


Note: I am no lawyer, but in the interest of complying with the FTC’s new blogger disclosure rules I will mention that Batavus and Renaissance Bikes provided the BUB to me to try out for a few weeks with no strings attached. No money, schwag, or free vacations to Holland were exchanged in the process. I just used the bike, returned it, and I’m telling you all what I think about it.

Cannondale Simon electronic suspension and more

Stanley Song, an engineer from Cannondale, was at CES with a prototype electronically controlled bicycle suspension system called “Simon”. This design replaces many of the internal mechanical parts (springs, valves, etc) with an electromechanical device that can vary the suspension based on rider weight and current riding conditions. Check out the videos of the prototype at this Engadget post…it really is pretty cool. Via Cyclelicious.

Yanko Design posted a Police Bike concept by Ciprian Frunzeanu. Also at Yanko design, you can see prototype photos of Fredrik Rudenstam's Nishiki urban commute concept bike. You may remember that I posted his rendering of that bike a while back.

NYC based designer Yuji Fujimura's square electric bike design has been getting a lot of attention on the web the last few days. One of the features in his concept is a built-in computer laptop port.

Bike Rumor posted pictures, taken by Conrad Stoltz, of this “one-off carbon fiber tandem based on Specialized’s 2010 SHIV time trial bike”. Wow! I want one…or I should say, “I want it” since there are no others in existence.

MocoLoco posted a custom Trek Carbon District belonging to Lance Armstrong. The yellow belt is a nice touch.

Speaking of Trek, take a look at these “Trek Exhibition Bikes” at Carefully Considered. These appear to just be photoshop renderings and not real custom paint jobs. Either way, I like the top, left one.

Cyclelicious posted these handmade wooden bikes from a Japanese shipbuilder.

According to Inhabitat, the number of cars owned by Americans last year declined by about 4,000,000, with more people relying on car sharing, public transportation, and of course…cycling.

Finally, I will mention that Bicycle Design was mentioned, along with 5 other cycling blogs, in the Guardian UK's weekly internet review. Take a look, and check out the other bike blogs if you aren’t already familiar with them.

Sanyo eneloop e-bike at CES

You have probably seen the Sanyo eneloop bike quite a few times in the past year, both on this blog and at other sites. Though it was making news on the web long before, the pedal assist hybrid e-bike, which offers regenerative braking and coasting, was officially unveiled to the US bike market at Interbike this past September. Well… now the bike is getting more attention at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. At CES, journalists not affiliated with the cycling industry will get a chance to try it out, and I am looking forward to reading some of those impressions as they start trickling onto the web.

I was lucky enough to test ride an eneloop bike while I was in Vegas for Interbike (thanks to Carlton Reid who let me try his loaner eneloop at the BikeHugger Mobile Social). Unlike a typical electric bike, which uses a hand operated throttle to control the power from the motor, the Sanyo motor kicks in as soon as the rider starts pedaling. It takes a little getting used to as you can really feel the extra acceleration when you first start pedaling. After a couple of laps around the interior area of the US Crits Finals though, I was really enjoying the effortless speed provided by the electric pedal assist (as you can tell from the smile on my face in the photo shown here). The motor assist diminishes as you go faster and cuts off completely at a certain speed (around 18mph if I remember correctly). That doesn't sound fast, but the top speed feels pretty fast when you are pedaling easily on an upright style bike. My first impression of the eneloop was that the initial, almost jerky, acceleration might be off-putting (and potentially dangerous) to those who are new to cycling for transportation (the target market for a bike like this I assume). To me, it seems like the motor assist shouldn't kick in at all until the rider has pedaled a few feet to get the bike moving. If the system is refined a bit (and maybe it already has been), I think the electric pedal assist technology does have the potential to open the possibility of bike commuting to those who would otherwise never consider it…definitely a good thing in my opinion.

My test ride on the eneloop was pretty limited, but Richard Masoner (Fritz from Cyclelicious) had a chance to try one out longer term. His review appears in the 2010 “Gear Issue” of Momentum Magazine. It sounds like he liked the bike overall. I will be looking forward to reading more about his experience with the bike soon at Cyclelicious. (update 1/10: Richard already posted more of his thoughts about the eneloop here).

Finally, I will mention the carbon version of the eneloop (pictured here) that Sanyo had in their booth at Interbike. That version of the eneloop is for the Japanese market only and is not slated for release in the US. Too bad, the 50-pound weight of the bike is potential issue for people, like Richard, who sometimes carry their commuter bike onto a bus or up stairs for storage. The carbon bike is less than 10 pounds lighter, but after lugging it up a few flights of stairs, that would probably be a pretty noticeable difference. So who is going to be first to market a performance oriented carbon fiber e-bike in the US… Sanyo, Trek, or someone else? I am not sure, but I think it is something we will see pretty soon.

A bike for Abruzzo National Park by Alessio D'Onofrio

Wow! 2010 has been off to a busy start. I was hoping to get my review of the Batavus BUB urban bike posted before the end of the year, but I just can’t seem to find the time to sit down and write a few paragraphs. It is on my to do list for the coming week though, so look for that review soon.

Today, I want to quickly share a project from Italian architect and designer, Alessio D'Onofrio. Alessio worked on a thesis project titled "Inter-modal system aimed to the conscious and assisted fruition National Park of Abruzzo” as an architecture student at the University G. D’Annunzio Chieti-Pescara in 2006. He focused on a both a system and a product (the bicycle) to create a sustainable way for tourists to visit the Abruzzo National Park. Below you can read Alessio’s abstract describing his project, and see a few of the images from his slideshow presentation:

Introduction

The reflections about the theme of environment, suggested in this paper, come from the consideration that the Italian territory shows a large environmental estate, which has been scarcely developed, while the demand for eco-tourism has been increasing more and more.

The landscape of protected areas between development and defense

Italy owns an extraordinary natural protected estate, which needs to be defended and made accessible and comfortable to be lived. In order to love and defend the environment, it is necessary that use, fruition and preservation of our environmental heritage, become integral part of the estimation developing activity. All this requires both the promotion of environment resources knowledge and an action of design ethically responsible.

Strategy orientation and guidelines

In this perspective, the protected areas of parks, are the ideal scenery to make tests on new patterns of sustainable intervention without separating protection from development. Protected areas are surely required to defend the most sensitive and precious eco-systems due to biodiversity, but they are also an extraordinary instrument for the sustainable development in several strategy-sections like tourism, agricultural food production, craftsmanship and management of natural and environmental goods.

The sustainable solution

On the basis of these methods guidelines, the theme of sustainable mobility has been afforded in protected mountain areas. The application regards a project of an inter-modal System meant for tourist fruition in the National Park of Abruzzo.

The National Park of Abruzzo

The National Park of Abruzzo has been chosen as “sensitive landscape” for the particular
combination between spontaneous nature and landscape created by man on a land inhabited since long time ago, shaped and transformed by traditional culture and thousand year old civilizations (Lepore, 2001). In these last years, the problems connected to eco-development have been raised. That is, the need to harmonize the preservation and the urgent requirements by man of natural resources, between the maintenance of dynamic balance referred to eco-system structures and the necessity of socio-economic development of local population. In particular, the most relevant problem concerns the alteration of the environmental context due to the effect of man's pressure submitted to a tourist-receptive system showing a high level of non-sustainability: increase of vehicle mobility inside the Park, surface, acoustic and air pollution, overall life quality decrease of the residents.

THE SERVICE:

The inter-modal system for the conscious and assisted fruition of the National Park of Abruzzo

Inside a general pattern of strategy guidelines established by the Park Corporation, the sustainable solution which has been found responds to question on how it may be possible to manage and enhance the activities of tourist fruition in the Park, respecting the delicate environment balances. The proposal consists of an inter-modal System for the conscious and assisted fruition of the Park. The solution has been suggested as a service which provides information, assistance, minimal products and equipments for those who want to visit the Park by means of a resource management advanced service entrusted to the Park Corporation.

The system is a network spread all over the area of the Park and it is mainly based on different and interrelated transport modalities characterized by lighter ecological imprints as the demand of tourist fruition is shifted from the populated areas easier to be reached, to places of higher nature value and difficult to be reached (vehicle + electric shuttle + bike + walk).

The service, in fact, includes several strategic points of inter-modal exchange that play also a role of support for the different leisure, sport, didactic and scientific activities. In these points the service offers information, assistance, maintenance, small equipments and products useful for the fruition of the Park. The service guarantees also a good system for collecting rubbish separately. Further, through satellite technology, the interaction between the service manager and the users of the Park is constantly and continuously updated. The service also requires the use of different tools like: digital media interfaces for first aid emergency, orientation and geographical, botanical, geological and zoological information, able to record texts as well as moving and fixed images, signs, furniture products and the small, light and flexible receptive structures spread on the territory of the Park in order to equip picnic areas as well as those meant for didactic, scientific and sport activities, electric bikes for going along the routes of the Park together with specialized supporting Kit to be used for the activities.

THE BICYCLE:

The product concept: the bike of the Park

The analysis of the service map has allowed to get its key-product: the “ Bike of the Park”. It consists of a vehicle made of two wheels, alternative to the traditional motorized mean of transport, meant for a tourist who feels responsible of his role searching in protected areas a fruition experience rich in content at social, cultural and environmental level. The context features, the strategy orientation of the Park Corporation, the targets and the list of service specific requirements have defined the project brief. The concept comes from the careful management of all the inputs coming from disciplines (ergonomics, environment requirements, material technology) where it is absolutely necessary to obtain from, to develop an object to be used according to the patterns of design.

The high quality formal product innovation consists of: experimental employment of carbon fiber, connection to the satellite information system, versatility (leisure activities, competition, transport of things), use adjustability, assisted cycling pace, equipment and service tools as part of the frame (universal case -kits for emergency, orientation and first aid, leisure, scientific, didactic activities exc.), a flexible bag for litter to be inserted under the saddle, joint trailer outfits, eco-compatibility according to the criteria of Life Cycle Design.