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20 May 2008
FRAMESET FOR MESSENGER BIKE
ABOUT THE DESIGN
"After some research I wanted to mix traditional bicycle frames with contemporary technology. For the shape of the frame, I went along with the nostalgic return to old-fashioned bike designs you see everywhere in the market today. For the choice of material, I went with carbon fibre. Carbon fibre is a great material to work with, but it is restricted to only a few affordable manufacturing possibilities. Today, most of carbon frames are built like traditional tubular frames. I wanted to create a design people could emotionally respond to, by reverting to a design that looks custom-made. At the same time, I wanted to reduce the necessary parts to a minimum and avoid useless accessories. To appeal to bike messengers, it had to be basic, light and fast.
"I used a carbon composite to create exciting shapes based on bone structures and biomorphic forms. The bike has almost a living, animal-like appearance. Some people said it was overly stylized, but after they rode it, they soon realized it was a case of 'form follows function'. I provided the bike with simple and reliable suspension, both at the front and the rear. For this, I used urethanes and steel springs, instead of complex air dampening systems. The suspension parts perform like functional joints, much like in the human body. From automotive design I used the trick of arc shapes to guide the eye along the whole of the frame. At the same time, they suggest speed and dynamism and they focus the attention on their beginning and end points, the joints.
"The suspension has a range of 2 cm, which is enough for an aggressive riding style in the city. Other features of the bike include brake disc mounts and threaded fittings. I tried to integrate these both aesthetically and technically within the overall shape of the bike."
Dimensions: length 108 cm, height 62.5 cm, width 16 cm
Weight: 3.5 kg
Materials: carbon composite, aluminium, PP
Prize
One of twenty selected entries for the International Composites Design Competition, the travelling exhibition
ABOUT THE DESIGNER
Mark Seljan (born 1978)
"The form and function of bicycles have hardly changed over the last 100 years. As a designer I wanted to find out how their design could still be improved, whereby I focused my attention on messenger bicycles. Bike messengers use their bicycles professionally and can therefore really benefit from any improvement I could bring. They also represent a gradual reappraisal of the bicycle in urban mobility."
Bethlen Gabor utca 39 III/21
1071 Budapest
Hungary
t: +36 30 68 00 712
e: seljan@gmail.com
ABOUT THE AWARD
The International Composites Design Competition salutes designs in which composite materials have been used to the best effect and in an intelligent and innovative manner. The competition was open to professional designers from all over the world: individual designers, design agencies and corporate designers. The entries were divided into two categories. The first category comprises products that were brought to market between 1 January 2003 and 1 September 2006. The second category comprises experimental yet production-feasible prototypes. The winner of each category will receive EUR 7,500.
Composite materials are no longer exclusively used for high-tech applications in aviation and space travel; they arInternational Composites Design Competitione also eminently suitable for everyday objects. Thanks to their unique properties (lightness, strength and rigidity), they are much favoured among designers. In addition, they make great savings in costs and energy, both in their manufacture and in their use. Depending on the types of composites used, they offer a high degree of freedom of form and texture, aspects which are appreciated above all by designers.
"After some research I wanted to mix traditional bicycle frames with contemporary technology. For the shape of the frame, I went along with the nostalgic return to old-fashioned bike designs you see everywhere in the market today. For the choice of material, I went with carbon fibre. Carbon fibre is a great material to work with, but it is restricted to only a few affordable manufacturing possibilities. Today, most of carbon frames are built like traditional tubular frames. I wanted to create a design people could emotionally respond to, by reverting to a design that looks custom-made. At the same time, I wanted to reduce the necessary parts to a minimum and avoid useless accessories. To appeal to bike messengers, it had to be basic, light and fast.
"I used a carbon composite to create exciting shapes based on bone structures and biomorphic forms. The bike has almost a living, animal-like appearance. Some people said it was overly stylized, but after they rode it, they soon realized it was a case of 'form follows function'. I provided the bike with simple and reliable suspension, both at the front and the rear. For this, I used urethanes and steel springs, instead of complex air dampening systems. The suspension parts perform like functional joints, much like in the human body. From automotive design I used the trick of arc shapes to guide the eye along the whole of the frame. At the same time, they suggest speed and dynamism and they focus the attention on their beginning and end points, the joints.
"The suspension has a range of 2 cm, which is enough for an aggressive riding style in the city. Other features of the bike include brake disc mounts and threaded fittings. I tried to integrate these both aesthetically and technically within the overall shape of the bike."
Dimensions: length 108 cm, height 62.5 cm, width 16 cm
Weight: 3.5 kg
Materials: carbon composite, aluminium, PP
Prize
One of twenty selected entries for the International Composites Design Competition, the travelling exhibition
ABOUT THE DESIGNER
Mark Seljan (born 1978)
"The form and function of bicycles have hardly changed over the last 100 years. As a designer I wanted to find out how their design could still be improved, whereby I focused my attention on messenger bicycles. Bike messengers use their bicycles professionally and can therefore really benefit from any improvement I could bring. They also represent a gradual reappraisal of the bicycle in urban mobility."
Bethlen Gabor utca 39 III/21
1071 Budapest
Hungary
t: +36 30 68 00 712
e: seljan@gmail.com
ABOUT THE AWARD
The International Composites Design Competition salutes designs in which composite materials have been used to the best effect and in an intelligent and innovative manner. The competition was open to professional designers from all over the world: individual designers, design agencies and corporate designers. The entries were divided into two categories. The first category comprises products that were brought to market between 1 January 2003 and 1 September 2006. The second category comprises experimental yet production-feasible prototypes. The winner of each category will receive EUR 7,500.
Composite materials are no longer exclusively used for high-tech applications in aviation and space travel; they arInternational Composites Design Competitione also eminently suitable for everyday objects. Thanks to their unique properties (lightness, strength and rigidity), they are much favoured among designers. In addition, they make great savings in costs and energy, both in their manufacture and in their use. Depending on the types of composites used, they offer a high degree of freedom of form and texture, aspects which are appreciated above all by designers.
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