Wednesday, October 12, 2011
 

Utility bike design contest winners

One of the Design Challenge bikes
Winners of a utility bike design contest are discussed in a Wall Street articled entitled: Reinventing the Two-Wheeler: Built for the long haul, new bicycle prototypes are making a case for just how far we could go in a car-free society. The bikes were created for the Oregon Manifest 2011 Constructor’s Design Challenge:
WE’RE LOOKING FOR THE ULTIMATE UTILITY BIKE FOR MODERN LIVING!

The Oregon Manifest Constructor’s Design Challenge is a one-of-a-kind design/build competition, in which some of the country’s best custom bike craftsman and select student teams vie to create the ultimate modern utility bike.

 OUR MISSION IS THREEFOLD

FIRST, to inspire and foster real design innovation around a bike that recognizes the needs of modern living. SECOND, to celebrate and champion the resurgence of American craft—bicycle craft in particular. THIRD, to show riders and enthusiasts that a well-crafted bicycle isn’t just for sport and recreation, but can also be a tool integrating seamlessly into everyday life.
From the Wall Street Journal article:
In a world of skyrocketing gas prices and diminishing oil reserves, the option of discarding the Range Rover in favor of a bicycle doesn't seem that ridiculous—especially if it is a bright magenta bicycle with an electric assist, a stereo and a lockable metal box. 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.

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.

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