Hi-Tech & Low-Tech Bicycle Madness

"QUANTUM SHOT" #607
Link - article by Avi Abrams (with some material by Antoine Van Hove)

Imagine pedalling into the sunset atop one of these cool machines

Nothing like opening a new year with some fresh designs - it clears the minds, refreshes our vision, and simply makes for a great eye-candy. Today we will see some outrageous modern concepts, old bizarre ideas and some funny examples of bicycle design. There are well-known companies producing unique, high-tech and high-price bikes, such as Spyker, or Biomega - but we are going to focus on somewhat stranger and rather unexpected ideas.

Jason Battersby's "Orange Tequila Sunrise":

(image credit: Jason Battersby)

Riding this machine requires special road markings:

Yuji Fujimura's concept for an electric bicycle (which would also charge your laptop):

(image via)

Hubless (and spokeless) wheels on a concept bike by Brandon Waugh:

Fantastic Skeleton Bicycle art piece by Jud Turner, complete with red LED eye sockets. Below is the t-shirt design that will go good with that - order it here:

(image credit: Jud Turner)

Alessio is a somewhat strange-looking bike specially designed for Abruzzo National Park in Italy - more info:

Ever seen a design for an urban vehicle shaped like a budding tulip? Eric Stoddard from Speed Studio Design came up with this human/electric powered tricycle:

(images credit: Eric Stoddard)

Marino Drake's EV1 concept – a hi-tech electric bike with a removable engine - is a great compromise between a normal bike and motorcycle, where you have a choice if you want to pedal all the way to the office, coast there under electric power.

(images credit: Marino Drake)

Lucy in the Sky... on a bicycle -
Bizarre Bicycle Parking "Forest" and Overhead Bicycle Lanes

Kolelinia Bicycle Lane Concept is the wildest idea in the area of urban design that we’ve seen recently. Martin Angelov wants to give bicyclists "wings", so to speak, and elevate bike lanes (really just steel wires) above ground:

(images Martin Angelov)

Personal safety of the riders would be the top priority, of course, and to address that Martin designed a pretty sturdy system that attaches the bike to the guiding wire. Still - who's going to guarantee that the rider will stay attached to the bike? Moral of the story: don't ride on such elevated lanes after a few drinks at the party.

Amazingly, history can show us even stranger "suspended bicycle" concepts - witness The Suspended Monorail Bicycle: 1892 (Arthur E. Hotchkiss Bicycle Railway from Mount Holly to Smithville in New Jersey):

(image via)

If you have bicycle lanes in the sky, then why not make the bicycle parking trees, or the whole forest? Check out "Tree Parking", by Abhinav Dapke:

More Concepts: "I Want to Ride My Bicycle"

The Zoomla folding bike transforms into a trolley in a couple of seconds - more info. Designer: Eric Stoddard from Speed Studio Design.

(image credit: Eric Stoddard)

Neat two-wheel set-up for two riders - Co-Joy from Pengtao Yu; more info:

(image credit: Pengtao Yu)

Neat "Shift-Bike" concept for beginners - the rear wheel can provide an extra stability when necessary (designed by Matt Grossman):

(image via)

Speaking of ecologically-sound bikes, here is one manufactured out of bamboo - apparently the properties of bamboo frame are comparable to frame made from carbon and even titanium! BikeBamboo company makes them:

"In wood the strongest fibres are packed in the centre of the trunk, however in bamboo the strongest fibres are distributed most densely in the outer surface region. As a consequence the most stable fibre structures in bamboo are most dense in regions of greatest longitudinal stress. Wood bends relatively easily, but bamboo does not."

The idea is not new: bamboo cycles were sold in London, back in 1897:

Here is an unique wooden bicycle from Jens Eichler:

Not exactly a bicycle, but the Propulsion Powered Flying Cycle, created by the Japanese designer Norio Fujikawa, is every Akira's fan wet dream. Hope this beauty will grace the skies one day:

(images credit: Norio Fujikawa)

Some interesting tandem bike variations (including a robot which actually pedals behind the main rider):

(images and more info: 1, 2, 3. 4)

Glorious low-tech:

We love these German and Dutch Pub Bikes, designed to share great fun and great beer with your buddies. PedalPub company in Minnesota will rent you one, so that your company can go with you, merrily, merrily down the road.... and maybe on into a ditch.