Less bikes in China?

Well, I don’t really know if there are less bikes overall or not, but I do want to point out an observation from this trip. On past trips to China, I have posted several shots of various bikes on the street, including pictures of hundreds of bikes outside of factories that I have visited. Don’t get me wrong, bikes are still all over the place here, but I have noticed far less bicycles parked outside of some of the same factories where I had seen so many of them before. It seems that many of them have been replaced with mopeds, motorized scooters, motorcycles, and even electrobikes.

So what is driving this trend toward motorized two-wheeled transportation for the masses? I have two pretty good guesses. First traffic is getting worse and it is increasingly more dangerous to ride on the streets here in most places (especially the heavily industrialized ones). Secondly, the government has recently reformed the labor laws so that the average factory worker is making more money than a few years ago. I believe that that second reason has a lot to do with the shift from pure pedal powered transportation that I am noticing on this trip. That is just an opinion based on my observations though. I would love to hear from others who visit China often or, better yet, from some of you who live here. Are the number of bikes on the road declining as motorized options become more affordable to the masses?

Cannondale Stealth

I am getting ready to meet my co-workers for breakfast here in Dong Guan, but I have a good internet connection and a few free minutes, so I want to quickly pass along a couple of things.

The latest entry in the Cannondale Design Sketchbook is the Stealth concept designed by Torgny Fjeldskaar and Erik Eagleman. It is another concept bike that not meant for production at this point, but you can read more about it here.

On the subject of Cannondale, I should mention that the Bad Boy White Edition was one of three bikes to receive Eurobike Gold awards this year. The Five Star Singlespeed bike from Fixie GmBH and the Giant City Speed were the other two.

Also, I want to mention the Yumeya premium aftermarket kit for XTR. According to the website, Yumeya is Japanese for “Dream Workshop”. These white and gold components are a way to bling out your existing XTR. Check out the website for more about “Kabauki beauty.” Thanks to Page for the tip on this.

Strida MAS Special Signature Edition

I have time for one more post before my trip, so let me quickly pass a few more things along.

You might remember when I tested a Strida 5.0 late last year. I liked the bike, but at 6’ 2”, I felt like I was a bit tall for it. That is why I was happy to recently hear about the XT Strida models, which will be shown at Interbike next week. The XT models are basically bigger versions of the 5.0 design- they feature 18” wheels and a larger frame for taller riders. There are other new Strida models that will be shown next week as well, the MAS special edition (pictured here) and the Sport Duo (download a catalog with the new models here). Both of those new models will feature a Schlumpf 2 speed drive, a Swiss engineered drive system that allows the rider to shift between high and low gears with a tap of the heel.

The top of the line Strida will be the MAS (Mark A. Sanders) Special Signature Edition. In addition to the Schlumpf drive, that model will feature a custom black anodized finish on frame and parts, an ergonomic racing saddle, and alloy cranks, chain ring, and pedals. Mark, the designer of the Strida, will be at Interbike this year splitting his time between the StridaUS booth (245) and the Pacific-Cycles booth (140), both of which are on the LH wall of the plan. Mark welcomes any readers of this blog who are at the show to drop by and say hi. As he said in his message, “I love to talk bikes, blue oceans, design, and engineering ... all suggestions / comments / critiques on the products absolutely welcome.”

Cyclelicious also mentioned the new Strida models. Check out Fritz’s post for more info about the bikes. While you at Cyclelicious, take a look at the SIR light, which functions as a tail light but also illuminates the cyclist’s legs to identify the rider as a bicyclist. I think it is a pretty interesting concept.

Finally, I will point out that CLIX Systems, a company that I have mentioned before, is having a "fastest wheel swap competition" at Interbike. Stop by their booth (4409) the first two days of the show for your shot at the $500 prize.

OK, I really need to get ready to go. The next post will be from the road (I mean it this time).

Traveling

A few people have asked me if I was planning to attend Interbike next week. I wish I could be there, but I am flying to China this weekend for a product development trip. Since I will be on the other side of the world for a couple of weeks, I will have to follow the developments at Interbike from afar. I know that Fritz will be in Vegas covering the show for Cyclelicious and for Commute by Bike. The Hugger crew will be there as well, so I plan to check that site for updates (by the way, the Mobile Social that they are co-sponsoring sounds like a great time). Needless to say I will also be checking in with the Interbike Times blog to get the “official” scoop on what’s happening at the show. I will also be checking Interbike TV when I can; I am especially looking forward to another episode of the Spokesmen podcast live from Interbike next Wednesday. If any of you readers will be at the show next week, I would appreciate any tips and/or photos of interesting designs that you can send my way.

As has been the case with my past trips, posting will probably be light while I am away. I will be working long hours and my access to the internet may be inconsistent. Before I leave though, I want to pass along a few thoughts about subjects that caught my attention this week.

I probably shouldn’t open up this can of worms right before I go, but I will. So far on the blog I have only mentioned the reissue of the Campagnolo Super Record group briefly. I haven’t ridden the new group so I can’t speak to its performance, but aesthetically the group just doesn’t appeal to me at all. Yeah, I know that there are some really loyal Campy fans out there who probably will say they love it, but honestly can anyone tell me that these components look good? I know it has a bunch of carbon bits, but the rear derailleur has to be the clunkiest looking one that I have ever seen. As I have mentioned before, I used to be a Campy fan in the late 80s and early 90s, but I have been using Dura-Ace on my road bikes for many years now because I just like Shimano’s design better. Campy makes great components and I would love to give them a chance again, but they need to step up their industrial design efforts to win me back as a customer. I mean, old Super Record and C-record components were really nice, even elegant, products… so what happened? Maybe it is just me though; am I not being fair to Campagnolo? If any of you disagree about the decline in Campy’s design strength over the last ten years or so, I trust you will leave a comment to let me know. By the way, these photos are from Erik K, who has several more shots of Super Record parts on his blog.

Robb of Mountain Biking by 198 recently recorded an interview with Dave Turner of Turner Bikes. You have to sign up for the blog’s newsletter to hear the interview, but I think it is worth doing so. I like Turner bikes and I really enjoyed the interview, but I want to play devil’s advocate and take issue with something that Dave Turner said. Aesthetics are no doubt subjective and he pointed out that he does not like “stylized swoopy tubes” that are curved just for looks. OK, I get that; I don’t like over-designed bikes either and I believe it is usually better to keep things simple. Sure, I happen to really like some mountain bikes that he might consider curved just for looks- the Ibis Mojo and the Specialized Epic carbon are two that first come to mind- but I understand where he is coming from. He goes on to say that he considers a bike to be a tool not a product that needs to be “styled” like a hairdryer or kitchen appliance. Yeah, I agree that bikes are tools. Then again, hair dryers, kitchen appliances, and really any other object that people use to accomplish a task can be considered tools as well. Automobiles are just tools for getting around, but very few people would argue that “styling” is irrelevant in that industry. I would not defend the practice of compromising a product’s functionality based on a styling decision, but I do believe that design is the most important differentiator between products when other factors are viewed as equal. The best consumer products are usually the result of close collaboration between industrial designers and engineers. Whether we are talking about bikes or anything else, people want products that do the job they are intended to do, are simple and straightforward to use, and are visually appealing. I don’t see anything wrong with that.

OK, back to work for me so I can be ready for my trip. Stay tuned for posts from China sometime in the next couple of weeks.

Motorized long bikes

There was a bit of long bike discussion on the blog recently in response to a couple of posts about the Fisher El Ranchero concept. Frequent commenter bikesgonewild was the first to mention that the El Ranchero would be “the perfect vehicle for Trek's electric project.” After seeing those posts, a reader named Bob sent me a couple of interesting long bike images. The first is a Kona that was spotted at Eurobike. It appears to be a Ute with and electric motor and supposedly it will available in 2010. Maybe someone who was at the show can fill me in on some details about this bike.

The second image is a homemade long bike with a 35 cc 4-cycle engine. As Bob pointed out in his message, “electric motors aren't the only game in the long bike lineup. Gas motors are much cheaper and at upwards of 150 mpg, they are quite economical. Running 1.6 hp through a gearbox provides plenty of get up and go for even the most loaded long bikes.”

As we see a greater variety of long bikes on the market, we will surely see several different models with some sort of motor assist. For bikes that are intended to carry heavy loads, it makes perfect sense. I assume that most will be electric, but what do you all think of the idea of a long bike that gets a bit of assistance from a gas-powered engine?

Updated 1:30: As Dolan pointed out in the comments, I should have at least mentioned the Stokemonkey electric motor kit for bikes with an Xtracycle. That would be your original electric assist cargo bike.

Eurobike Awards and a few more links

I mentioned the G-max bike from Girs in a previous post. Coralie, an engineer who worked on the bike and documented its development in a blog, let me know that the G-max won a Eurobike Award 2008. Congrats to Coralie and everyone at Girs on the distinction. See the other bikes and products, including the IF Mode from Pacific, right here on the iF Design website.

Ron pointed out a concept bike to me, the Rotation city bike by designer Yirong Yang. More about that one here.

Gizmodo had a couple of bike related posts recently. This thing reminds me a bit of another odd machine that I posted last year. Also on Gizmodo was a bike with an integrated ipod charger. I have seen that idea in several other places recently (one of the Cannondale D-Tank concept bikes comes to mind). I still don’t think mixing ipods and cycling it is a good idea, but I bet it is something we will see more of in the near future.

Many of you are probably already familiar with Taliah Lempert, but I have heard from a few other bike related artists lately that I would like to point out. Steve is the artist behind Velopaint and as the name implies he creates cycling themed paintings. David lives in Canada and creates recycled bike art. Leo is another artist who makes bike sculptures and jewelry in glass.

Finally, I’ll mention that Robb is giving away a couple pairs of Clix wheel release systems. Check out Mountain Biking by 198 to enter.

Have a good weekend everyone.

A couple of new Bianchis

I have seen a few interesting 2009 offerings from Bianchi on the web lately. Cyclelicious posted recently about the steel Vigorelli and also the Boron steel Pinella frameset, which is back in the line for 2009 after a two year absence. Bike Hugger posted recently about another steel Bianchi for ’09, the celeste colored Dolomiti Veloce with chrome lugs and beautiful 1950’s graphics (certainly in keeping with that classic theme that I brought up in a recent post).

The Dolomiti may be the stand out in the 2009 line but a couple of other bikes caught my attention as well. Cross season is coming up and I like the cyclocross specific top tube shape on the D2 Carbon Cross Concept frame (pictured here). It makes perfect sense to build a shape that is comfortable for shouldering the bike into the form of the carbon frame.


As you know from previous posts, time trial bikes always get my attention. The new D2Crono frame looks to be changed quite a bit from the ’08 model as well. It looks like the carbon TT frame will also be available as a complete bike this year. The thin profile top tube, integrated seat mast, and seat tube that shelters the rear wheel all seem to be new for Bianchi this year. I don’t know much about it other than what I can see in the pictures, but the bike certainly looks fast.

Eurobike follow-up

As I mentioned in my last post, Eurobike was bigger than ever this year. According to the latest email newsletter from the show, they had a record attendance of 36,800 trade visitors from 75 countries over the last few days. On top of that, over 18,000 people walked though and checked out the bikes on Open House Day (By the way, I would love to see Interbike add a public day too).

As you can imagine, the web is full of photos from the show. I have not yet been though all the pages that I bookmarked so I won't comment on specific designs. I will however point out a few of the sources that I have noticed for photos from the show. Please feel free to point out others if I am missing any good ones. One of the best photo collections that I have seen so far is this one, which frequent commenter Jimmythefly pointed out in his response to my last post. With over 600 photos from Eurobike posted so far, franzjakob.thaler's Flickr photostream is definitely worth browsing through.

UrbanVelo posted about a few interesting products from the show and then followed up that post with another. Edited 9/9: UrbanVelo now has a third post up that is worth checking out.

Bike Hugger linked to the photostream of Brad Roe, editor of Road Bike Action magazine. Cyclelicious mentioned that link as well and pointed out several other good places to see show photos. Speaking of Road Bike Action, also be sure to check out the Eurobike coverage on their website.

Of course I have also been checking out the Eurobike coverage at places like VeloNews (here, here, and here) and at Cyclingnews. Bike Radar has a few articles about the show as well.

Finally, I will point out the Eurobike photos on Flickr from Mark Sanders (the image shown here was taken from his set). Mark reports that he had a great show and that it “seemed much busier than previous years.” That increased interest was to be expected, but it is still great to hear. Let’s hope that Interbike breaks attendance records in a few weeks as well. Certainly the increased interest in cycling is a good thing, but the key for bike companies is to actually translate that increased interest into more people on bikes. That is where that whole design for the “blue ocean” strategy comes into play; definitely a great opportunity for industrial designers in the bike industry.

Eurobike opens today

The big European bike show, Eurobike, opened today in Friederichshafen, Germany and, according to BikeBiz, the show has more exhibitors this year than ever before- over 930. Cyclelicious posted recently about the opening of the show, and you can check that post out for more information and for a multimedia presentation of random images related to a search for "Eurobike."

If any of you Bicycle Design readers are at the show, stop by the Pacific Booth (B1-108) or the Ming/Strida Booth (A5-407Q) to say hi to Mark Sanders. Pacific will be launching the IF (integrated folding) range of bikes to European trade/distributors and Ming / Strida.NL will have Strida5 and other models on show. Mark said that he would love to hear from readers of this blog who want to critique the bikes, suggest improvements, etc. If you just want to talk about cycling as a sport and as a utility, Mark would love to hear your views on that subject as well.

The picture shown above is not from Eurobike, but from the Fiets (Dutch for bicycle) show in the Netherlands. Core77 has a gallery of 100 images from the 100-day long exhibition that is happening now at Designhuis in Eindhoven. All kinds of bikes are represented in the photogallery, so take a look.

Finally, I will mention an interview with Trek Industrial Designer Michael Leighton about the District 96 concept bike (thanks to Fritz for pointing the link out to me). Michael was also one of the designers behind the Trek Stop concept, which you may remember from a recent post.

photo credit: Core77

US Pro race photos

I finally got around to uploading some of my US Pro time trial photos to a Flickr set. Pictured here are three shots of Dave Zabriskie, Tom Danielson, and Christian Vande Velde from the race on Saturday. I should be able to get my road race photos uploaded soon and I will update this post when I do. Bear with me; after I finish playing around with all the pictures that I took this past weekend, I will get back to regular design related posts.

Updated 9/4: I posted my photos from the road race into a new set. In general, I think the time trial shots came out better, but there are a few good ones in the road set. Most importantly though, I am learning a lot each time I photograph a race. On that note, I just want to give a quick thanks to Ken, Olivier, and Clay who have helped me out with tips and advice as I have started to take more of an interest in photography. Shooting races is tough, but I also think it is addictive.

Tyler's US Pro winning Fuji SL1

It was a great weekend of racing in Greenville and I was extremely happy to hear the announcement yesterday that the US Pro Championships will stay here for another three years. By now, you have probably already read about how Tyler Hamilton outsprinted Blake Caldwell to win yesterday's US Pro Championship road race in an extremely close photo finish. You can read more about the details of the race elsewhere, but I want to point out the bike (pictured here) that Tyler won on. Unlike his Rock Racing team mates who rode the standard team DeRosas with Stella Azzurra Calibro wheels, Tyler was riding a black carbon Fuji SL1 with Campy Record and what appeared to be Zipp 1080s with the stickers removed. While I was watching the race, I was curious about Tyler's wheel choice for a road race course with a lot of hills and one very steep climb. Obviously Tyler's results show that the extra deep rims were a good choice, but they certainly stood out among all the lower profile rims on all the other pro bikes.

I have many photos from the time trial and road race to share and I will get those up on Flickr as soon as I have a chance to sort through them. I wanted to sort though my photos and post a few by now, but it was a very full weekend of riding and watching the races. Saturday after the time trial, we had a bike blogger meetup. It was great to meet Frank from the Tour de France blog and DL Byron and his wife Pam from Bike Hugger. I also briefly meet a few other people during the course of the weekend, Trish from Southeastern Cycling and Neil from Road Magazine to name just a few (sorry if I am leaving anyone out). It was also good to see Olivier from the Brand Builder blog, who was out photographing the race for Hincapie Sportswear. He already has some great time trial shots posted and I am looking forward to seeing his road race shots soon. All in all, it was great to see people I already know who were involved with the race and it was really cool to meet some new people, whose blogs and sites that I read on a regular basis. Yep, overall it was a great weekend. I'll let you know when my race pictures are up.