Trek Lime tandem

I did not think that I would get a chance to post over the holidays, but someone from Trek just sent me this shot of a prototype Lime tandem that I couldn't resist sharing.

Trek already makes a 7spd Cruiser tandem, a 24spd "Comfort" tandem, and two high performance domestically manufactured tandems, so the person who sent the picture of this prototype isn't sure if it will every make production. What do you think? Does this make sense as a 5th tandem in the Trek line?

Merry Christmas All.

Strida 5.0 review

Well, it has been over a week since I returned the Strida 5.0 that I was trying out. I mentioned it in a couple of posts, but I never did really write a review of my experience with the bike. This week, I have seen Strida reviews elsewhere, so I guess I had better get on the ball. For those of you who are interested in reading more about the Strida from other sources, the Jan/Feb 2008 issue of I.D. Magazine has a favorable review of the bike in the crit section. Also, Fritz has a new Strida 5.0 and he is sharing his initial thoughts about it on his Cyclelicious blog and over at Commute by Bike.

As you probably gathered from my previous posts, I really enjoyed testing the Strida during the couple of weeks I had it. Since my overall impression was a good one, I will start with a few of the things that I liked about the bike. Fritz mentioned in his post, that his Strida was slightly difficult to assemble. Maybe mine was packed differently, but I didn’t have that experience at all. The bike arrived folded and fully assembled except for the seat and seat support. Those went on easily and I was riding it in the living room within 10 minutes of opening the box. Everything goes together with a T shaped allen wrench which fits into a hole in the seat support. The folding and unfolding of the bike is well thought out and really does take just seconds. In the folded position, the bike can be held by the stem and rolled on both wheels, which are side-by-side and attached at the hubs by a magnet. Like many of the details on this bike, I think the way it folds is quite elegant. During the time that I had the Strida, I probably spent as much time folding and unfolding the bike as well as just looking at the design details as I did actually riding it.

The belt drive was something else that I was pretty happy with. I was a little skeptical, so I put it through the paces with some hard uphill pedaling and sprints, even once in the rain. The belt performed flawlessly through it all. It was pretty cool to come back from a wet ride and see that the belt was still clean as I folded the bike up. The I.D. reviewer didn’t like to see a “plastic chain ring” on an $800 bike, but I didn’t have a problem with that. The nylon chain ring seemed very sturdy and I am not sure that a cast or machined aluminum part would work as well with the belt. Someone correct me if I am wrong in my assumption, but I think the belt will probably last longer with the nylon gear teeth.

The Strida attracted more attention than any other bike I have ridden. Little kids (including my own) seemed to love it and several adults stopped me to ask about it. The reviewer in I.D. had the same experience stating that “it drew more stares than Gisele Bundchen in a see-through dress”. I don’t know about that, but it did draw a lot of attention. A few people asked where it came from. I explained that it was a bike that has been popular in the UK for quite some time, but is just now being distributed in the States by Areaware. I also gave out a few cards with the Bicycle Design web address to those who asked about the bike. I am just curious if any of you who I met on the Strida are reading; drop me a line if so.

There were a few things that I would change about the Strida. Though it wasn’t bad for short rides, the fit for me was not ideal. I am 6’ 2” tall, and I feel like I was right at the upper limit of rider height that the bike could reasonably accommodate. The bike is sold a “one size fits all”, but it definitely fit my wife, who is about 5’ 7”, better than it fit me. Maybe the bike should have an optional larger sized seat support that extends back a bit (perhaps a triangular shape that cantlevers out from the frame- I should sketch something when I have a chance). Of course, moving the rider’s weight back would not be without challenges. With the front wheel extended out as it is, the rider’s weight is already heavily distributed toward the rear. Despite the warning sticker not to do wheelies, I found that they were very easy to do since a lot of my weight was distributed directly over the rear wheel. I wouldn’t rule out a longer seat support though. Due to the triangular frame design, the seat moves in toward the center as it goes up. For larger riders, a seat support that extends out a bit from the frame would put the bulk of rider weight at the same point in front of the rear hub as a smaller rider using the standard bracket in a lower position (does that make sense?). You can see from the picture shown here that my position on the bike was cramped; I had the seat pretty low and my knees were still almost touching the under side of the bars with each pedal stroke. It wasn’t too bad once I got used to it; in some ways it felt like riding a highwheeler which was kind of fun. I can’t imagine that the Strida would work for someone much taller than me, but I guess that is a relatively small segment of the market. Still, I would call it a one size fits most… not all.

Note: this section in itallics was added a few hours after the original post: I just found out that the Mark's tips pdf on the Strida UK website addresses the issue of fit for taller riders. Mark Sanders, who designed the bike, is 6' 3" and runs the seat on his Strida so that the lower seat bracket clamp is positioned above the guide pin in the frame. If you set up a Strida that way, you have to torque the clamps really tight to keep the seat from swaying side to side (since the pin will not be in the groove to keep it straight). Anyway, check out the pic of Mark's personal bike in the pdf. Interesting; I wish I had tried mine that way.

The other detail that I didn’t really like was the plastic rear rack. It dips down in the middle to form a small basket, but with the sides open you can’t really put anything small in that space. My daughter put a juice box in and it immediately fell out the side. Granted the rack looks cool as it is designed, but I would add a few vertical supports so that it could actually hold things. I didn’t really try it as a rack with a trunk pack strapped on top, but as a shallow basket it was lacking.

According to the I.D. article, Mark Sanders, the designer of the bike, has proposed a few tweaks to the design. At this point, the manufacturer, Ming, holds the patents and they are reluctant to change what already works. Don’t get me wrong, I think the bike is well designed as it is, but I am very curious about the minor changes that Mark would like to make. I know the feeling; sometimes it is hard to end the design process when a product is on the market. Of course, design evolution is a good thing, so maybe the manufacturer will implement some of Mark’s changes at some point.

In closing, I’ll say again that I really enjoyed my time with the Strida, and I think it would be a great choice for a lot of people. For someone who commutes to work on a subway or bus part of the way (Fritz is just such a person), a small bike that folds easily like this would be perfect. In a dense urban environment where apartments are small and storage space is limited, the Strida would be a good choice as well. I noticed this week that DWR is now selling the Strida 5.0 in their catalog. That seems like a good channel of distribution for this bike, which I think will appeal to a lot of design conscious consumers who would not consider buying a traditional bike. This design has been successful in other parts of the world, so I hope that the sales results will be similar here in the U.S. I don’t know why they wouldn’t be because it is a pretty cool little bike.

One last thing before I go; Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you. I will be taking next week off and probably will not get a chance to post. In case I don’t, I’ll go ahead and say Happy New Year as well. Be sure to check back in 2008 because the Bicycle Design blog will be back and better than ever (actually, it will probably be about the same, but it seems like a good statement to close out the 2007 posts).

A bicycle-powered welder

A few months ago, I mentioned Specialized and Google’s Innovate or Die contest, which challenged participants to create a machine that “transforms pedaling energy into a new and useful purpose”. At the end of that post, I asked any Bicycle Design readers who entered the contest to let me know about it. Well, the deadline for entry just passed, and a reader, Mike Hall, sent me a link to his team’s entry on YouTube.

Mike and the group made an inertia friction welder powered by a bicycle. You can check out their entry video right here. The video shows the pedal powered machine in action as it welds 2 pieces of aluminum together. The resulting weld joint may not be the prettiest I have ever seen, but it is really exciting to see the machine working right before your eyes. I watched the video several times and I think that you all will enjoy it as well (I especially liked the slightly “out of tolerance” comment). As you watch, you will see that all the guys involved in the project are obviously excited to see their hard work pay off. Nice work guys.

In addition to the video link, Mike passed along a few stats about the machine that his team made:

Flywheel weight - approx 150 kg

Gear ratio to flywheel - 5.79:1

Gear ratio flywheel to work piece - 37:19

Flywheel energy - 30 Kilojoules @ 500 rpm (I think we only managed around 400-450 rpm though)

Also on the subject of “Innovate or Die”, Cyclelicious recently posted about a group of MIT cyclists who generated 1.2kw to power a supercomputer in response to the challenge. Read more about that entry here.

A $20K hi-tech bike?

In keeping with the technology theme from my last post, I will mention the Factor 001 bike that I saw today on Quickrelease.TV. The bike was designed by BERU f1 systems, a supplier of performance engineering solutions to the motorsport, automotive, and marine industries. Exactly what kind of data the bike will provide is not yet clear, but the company claims that this will be the “ultimate bicycle and training tool, combining innovative design and advanced electronics to record and analyse volumes of biometric data.” As the QR.tv post speculates, a power meter and HRM output will surely be parts of the toolset that will be integrated into the composite frame and proprietary components.

Details about the bike are scarce at this point and, to be honest, I am not sure what I think of the design of this prototype. Still, I am glad to see a company with a successful history in automotive engineering taking an interest in the design of a high-end bicycle. I have written about some of the automotive branded bikes on the market in the past, but this is a bit different. Most of those past bikes have really just been licensed products or have resulted from co-branding agreements in which the car company bearing the brand name had very little design input. Anyway, I guess time will tell if the Factor 001 will go the direction of bikes like the old Ferrari Colnagos (not the new CF4s, but the old ones with the big flywheel attached to the crankset) or if the varied engineering background of a company like BERU f1 will possibly lead to a product with a few truly innovative features.

As I have said before, I like to see ideas for bicycle products coming from companies outside the traditional bicycle industry. In some cases, a degree of unfamiliarity can provide a fresh perspective in the development of a product (those who don’t feel like they already know all the answers aren’t afraid to question the status quo). I am not really speaking specifically about the factor 001 at this point, but I think this is a trend that we will see more of in the future. At any rate, I am curious to hear what you all think about companies from other industries designing bikes. Any thoughts on the subject?

Cerevellum

Cerevellum is an interesting cyclo-computer concept, but it is really much more than that. The system is expandable by way of 4 USB connections on the underside of the head unit so the user can choose the extra features that he or she wants; GPS mapping, power meter, heart rate monitor, etc. Sounds good so far, but if you look at the rendering, you will see the most interesting feature of the Cervellum, the hindsight component. A small lens in the handlebar end plug (or optionally attached to the seatpost) gives the rider a rearview that is shown right on the head unit’s display screen. Cars approaching from behind can be clearly seen as the rider glances down to view the computer data. I think this is a great idea; much more information about the concept is available on the Cerevellum website, so check it out if you want to learn more.

Evan Solida, the designer who developed this concept, is looking for a company to manufacture the product. He notes on his website that the design process is essentially finished and that many of the plastic parts are ready to be tooled. The product could get to market quickly and could even be possibly unveiled at Interbike or Eurobike 2008. If you are interested, contact Evan about his design at this email address.

Best of all (for me at least), Evan lives and works right here in Greenville, so I am hoping that I will get a chance to try out his working prototype. If I do, I will let you know what I think.

On an unrelated note, take a look at this “theft proof” bicycle concept at the Core 77 blog. Certainly all the details are not worked out, but it is an interesting idea. It kind of reminded me of an older product. Back in the 90s, my wife had one of those seatposts with an integrated pump. The concept was interesting and I guess it would have worked in an emergency, but as one commenter to the Core post pointed out, seat posts are pretty greasy when you remove them from the frame. I never used that pump, so I doubt that I would use this locking system either. Still, I am glad to see designers discussing the problem.

Team Astana Treks

Yesterday, I briefly mentioned the old Discovery Team Treks that are currently on eBay, so today I will follow up with a mention of the latest pro team bike from Trek. Team Astana will be riding SRAM Red equipped Madones next season. You can read more about the bike sponsorship here on Trek’s website.

I really like the graphic treatment on the Team Astana bikes. That probably comes as no surprise since I have previously mentioned how much I like the graphics on the Specialized Tarmac SL2. Not to say that the graphics are the same, but a few of the design elements are similar. The way the color flows from the frame to the fork is very nice in both cases ( I have also mentioned how I like that graphic detail on Ridley framesets). Also, the way the Trek logo is distorted to fit into the tapered frame graphic reminds me of what Specialized has been doing with their logo for a while. Another nice graphic element on the Trek is the continuation of the frame graphics onto the seatpost. That certainly makes sense considering the frame design and I think serves to further unify the frame with its integrated, yet adjustable, post.

I prefer the looks of this bike to the bikes that Discovery rode last year. Of course, aesthetics are subjective, so I am curious what you all think of the Astana graphics scheme. Any comments?

Photo from Trek’s newsletter

Now that’s what I call a bike light

Okay, I am warning you. This is going to be another one of those posts where I quickly pass along a bunch of random links. Some are bike related, some are design related and hopefully one or two will fit both categories. Just don’t try very hard to look for a unifying theme.

Earlier today, a coworker sent me the text from a Gizmodo post titled “New Material Provides Constant Light For 12 Years Without a Power Source”. As I read about the self luminous micro particles that can added to paint (or injection molded), I immediately thought how great a true luminous paint would be for bike frames or components. As soon as I clicked through to the Gizmodo post, I was happy to see the picture (shown here) of a bike with luminous wheels. I always thought that the glow in the dark Biomega MN02 was a good idea in theory, but these Litrospheres might be just the thing to make that idea more practical as a real safety feature.

The people over at Keen footwear have an interesting contest that is open to industrial designers and other creative folks. In a nutshell, you just create an original work devoted to sustainability, positive environmental change, and/or raising environmental awareness. Products related to bicycling can certainly fit that criteria, so take a look at the Keen Stand Up contest if you have a great idea. You could win up to $25,000 or one of five $5,000 prizes, so the contest is worth checking into. Stand Up is the contest for creative people, but Keen is running two other environmentally themed contests as well. Read about all three “Stand” contests here.

Gene over at Biking Bis alerted me to an important post on his site. The Cascade Bicycle Club is currently raising money to help the victims of the devastating floods that hit the Pacific Northwest last week. Get more details and find out how you can help here at the Biking Bis post. Note that Gene is putting his money where his mouth is by personally donating $5 to the CBC relief fund for each of the first 20 bloggers who link to his post (that’s up to 100 bucks for any of you who couldn’t handle the extremely complex math)

I don’t think I have ever mentioned toilets on the blog before, but Cool Hunting posted about these decals to dress up the old plain white porcelain tank. The bike one looks like a perfect gift for the cyclist on your Christmas list. Of course, if you want to spend a little more than the 20 bucks for a bicycle toilet graphic, you could always shop here. It seems that Tailwind Sports is having a big Disco themed garage sale on eBay. The starting bids on these bikes are way out of my price range, but at least the shipping is included.

Back again

I am back home from another week of traveling. I didn’t have enough free time to post last week, but I did see a few things on the web that are worth passing along. Also last week, I uploaded a few more pictures of the Strida to Flickr. I have already shipped the bike back but, as promised, I will write more about my experience with it soon.

If you read BikeSnobNYC at all, you are familiar with the “fixed gear freestyler” description that he uses pretty often. Basically, the term applies to a track bike that has been retrofitted/ modified with something like a top tube pad, chopped riser bars, powdercoated rims, aerospoke front wheel, etc. A while back, I posted a link to a group of bikes on Razor Apple, which take the whole fixed gear freestyler idea to the extreme. Sure bikes that fall into the whole urban fixie category are trendy now, and that makes them pretty easy to make fun of. I am definitely no bike snob, but I have been guilty of questioning the point of some recent fixed gear fads in the past. Well, last week I ran across the Cadence Clothing photostream on Flickr (from which the picture here was taken) and I was pretty impressed. These are some great shots of real fixed gear freestyling in action (check out the air on this one). All I can say is that if you can ride like these guys, I will never make fun of your bike; no matter how silly the top tube pad looks or how many cards are stuck in the spokes (it is worth noting that top tube pads are absent on all the bikes pictured). Anyway, there is no doubt that the guys in these pictures are pretty damn rad. I encourage you all to check out all the shots. While you are at it, take a look at Cadence Clothing’s website as well; they make some pretty good looking stuff.

Knowing that I have posted a few wooden bikes in the past, Fritz of Cyclelicious pointed me toward a design concept from an architect called the "OLC" (for "One Less Car"). The 2 speed (?) “one size fits all” bike is targeted toward the mass market. The designer imagines that a company like IKEA could sell the bike for his target retail price of $35 (US) making it an almost disposable transportation solution. This concept looks like it could be made cheaply, but I am pretty skeptical of that extremely low target cost. Also, as Fritz pointed out in his email, there are no visible provisions for adjustment, so I am not sure about the one size fits all claim. I don’t know that this will be the one, but I would not be surprised to see a bike that folds or packs flat from IKEA one day. Under 50 bucks though? Sounds good, but I kind of doubt it.