July 29, 2014
Five teams in five cities – each one incredibly talented and highly competitive. All of them seeking to redefine the category of the urban bicycle.
This is a five-city bike design competition held by the nonprofit Oregon Manifest. The winning entry will be manufactured in a limited run of 100 by Fuji and should be hit bike stores next year.
Portland's entry, submitted by design firm Industry and hand-made bike maker Ti Cycles, is a very speical high-end concept bike.
Solid is a Bluetooth-enabled urban bike featuring a 3D printed titanium frame. Solid connects to a smartphone app called My Bike which monitors bike maintenance and alerts you to when a light needs to be replaced or when something goes wrong with your brakes. Another software, Discover My City, has a series of curated rides from five of Portland's coolest residents, which suggests where to ride, eat and shop.
In order to keep you focus on the road, the bike has integrated haptic feedback on handlebars. So instead of looking at your smartphone, haptic grips will buzz when you are approaching a turn. The more closer you get, the more frequently they buzz.
In addition you can also control your light via built-in sensors, change gears by pressing an electronic button, add modular bike rack according to your load.
"All of that is integrated into lightweight frame," says Oved Valadez, a co-founder of Industry. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but that hasn't been done before."
In parallel to their vision of creating a SEAMLESS experience, the team has been prototyping with technology by incorporating subtle digital elements to compliment their analog ride. To 3D print the frame, they have partnered with the Dalles-based company i3D Manufacturing. And all wires, shifters, brake cables are housed in this 3D printed titanium frame.
"We wanted to be challenged by, how do we get an everyday person to cycle?" says Valadez. "How do we get people to immerse in a city in a different way?"
via Wired
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
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if you ram a lamp-post with the right side of the bar you are likely to make a flip, why didnt they put the brakes closer to the middle of the bar?
sitting wrote at 7/29/2014 10:48:19 PM:
It's not the bikes keeping be from cycling, it's the streets.