'This is the bike for Chicago'
The worst winter in decades inspired a design firm and frame builder to fashion a bike tough enough for this town.
http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/minimal-method-bicycle-concept...
Views: 3247
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on
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Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.
Duppie said:Not Chicago, but at least 3 other cities copied a VanMoof verbatim.
Kevin C said:
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Roller brakes might be lower maintenance, but I haven't been all that impressed with their stopping power, especially compared to good disc brakes.
I also thought the fenders were pretty but not so practical - way too short.
Jeff Schneider said:This interview gives the best info yet on the design of this bike.
The SRAM 3-speed hub and belt drive both seem intelligent and practical for Chicago.
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The wooden fenders are pretty, but way too short. Both the front and rear fenders will dump water/slush/snow right on the bottom bracket (and the rider's feet). Perhaps proper fenders wouldn't be MNML enough.
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Rather than disc brakes, I would prefer roller brakes. Less expensive, essentially no maintenance, less prone to making noise, and they stop well enough for city transportation riding. But they wouldn't have been compatible with the SRAM hub, I suppose.
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Permalink Reply by Jonathan Quist on
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Thanks, Jeff. I'll take the time to watch the interview. The other video was more or less as expected...
I'm kind of surprised they made the claim Schwinn is headquartered in Chicago. Or is there still an office in town? I was under the impression there was nothing left of the original company, at least under the Schwinn name.
I'm a relative newbie at bicycle commuting, but those panniers didn't look like they'd hold a 15" laptop and change of clothes. I'm highly skeptical of their practicality claims.
GPS? Well, if their nav system was linked to public works to indicate which streets had closed bike lanes... :-) But in Chicago, with streets for the most part falling into the grid, I'd rather focus my attention on hazards than a nav display, and my experience with smartphone-based GPS in the loop suggests that a low-end nav system simply won't be accurate. Too much interference and too many reflected signals.
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Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on
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Just amazed at all the media this thing is capturing. I think they may have that Ghost Rack lawyer on their team....
Would be cool if their PR machine could be used for good in the world.....
skyrefuge said:Yep, the bike and its creators got featured on Chicago Tonight last night, and I definitely got the feeling that this is more a masturbatory art project than a practical engineering pursuit. The answers to many of Phil Ponce's questions on why they decided to do something in a particular way often seemed to be "um, I dunno, because it looks cool I guess".
http://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2014/07/28/building-better-bike
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Okay, I'm missing something really basic here. It's an X-frame. There are no triangles to run a lock or cable through. How the heck do you lock it securely?
Yeah, I realize that's a topologically pedantic question, but having fully adopted the Sheldon Brown method (shortest lock possible, lock the rear rim to a post _through_ the rear triangle, including or cabling the front as desired) I don't see that as a viable approach with this bike. And if you've got freaking integrated nav and not-bright-enough lights, why not an integrated locking system? An integrated U-lock mount? Okay, gee, thanks, that saved my $5 buying one on my own.
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Permalink Reply by Kevin Mulcky on
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there's still a rear triangle.
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Permalink Reply by Duppie on
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May have missed it, but did anyone hear how much this bike costs in this configuration?
Also, those fenders are not just ridiculous short, but also way to far above the tire. Spray from the tire will fly everywhere.
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Permalink Reply by Gene Tenner on
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In production mode from $750 to $1500. Also, the designers were required to add GPS and integrated lighting as part of thet rules.
Duppie said:May have missed it, but did anyone hear how much this bike costs in this configuration?
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And here I was liking them for being bus rack friendly.
Duppie said:Also, those fenders are not just ridiculous short, but also way to far above the tire. Spray from the tire will fly everywhere.
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Ah... Perhaps I should clean my glasses more frequently...
KevinM said:there's still a rear triangle.
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Permalink Reply by Thunder Snow on
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I'm a little disappointed that all five entries appear to be prettified versions of Vanmoofs, rather than radical re-imaginings of what a concept city bicycle could be. You'd think five design groups with sky-is-the-limit design criteria could do something more interesting.
For example, I'd be interested in a city bike that folded up into a backpack:
Though, with this particular example, if I were the designer, I'd probably try to make it look less like a toilet seat hanging on my back. But that's just me. The concept is still strong.
Maybe a city bike should protect us from the elements:
Or just look way cool:
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Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on
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Because the "perfect city bike" wouldn't' look at all like the bikes that are ridden by the majority of people who live and ride in bike-friendly cities like Amsterdam.
Because those silly people don't have a clue what they are doing. Why should they? What do they know about riding everywhere and everyday on bikes in a city? They have obviously been doing it wrong all these years....
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