There’s no shortage of great looking, new bikes being designed all the time now, and as more and more urban planners around the world design their cities with bikes in mind – and bike riding moves steadily from the realm of the leisurely weekend jaunt to actual transportation – you can expect designers are only going to crank out more lustable bikes and accessories. With that in mind, here’s the latest crop of two-wheeled wonders and other bike-related news.
Cannondale/Junk Food Clothing Collaboration: Don’t let the name Junk Food fool you. The LA-based clothing company teamed up with Cannondale to make some seriously luxe leather accessories, including a saddle, a convertible messenger bag (it snaps onto the frame and can be taken off and carried as a bag) and an itty-bitty saddle bag designed to carry a rolled up t-shirt so you can change your sweaty tee post ride and arrive fresh. (You can also enter to win a sweet Cannondale Bad Boy.)
Oregon Manigest Bicycle Design Challenge: You’ve probably seen pictures of the striking, orange and white, surfboard-carrying bike designed by Yves Behar’s Fuseproject in collaboration with Sycip, but that’s actually one of three collaborations designed outside of the competition, presumably to give it some some star power without imposing their celeb status on the decidedly less famous participants. I don’t plan on biking to the beach for a surf sesh any time soon, but I would love another alternative to my awkwardly front-heavy wire basket. The contest ended a few weeks ago; Check out some of the entries.
“Modus,” a Quirky bike: Though Quirky is better known for designing better corkscrew, dog leashes and other home goods, the NY-based community-sourced design powerhouse recently teamed up with Sony Pictures Entertainment on the Moneyball project, a 24-hour design challenge to reinvent the bike. They came up with an open frame structure that houses a clip-in, multi-purpose accessory that is a bike lock, boombox, battery and briefcase, all in one. And yeah, battery means it’s a hybrid, so it’s even more functional as a commuter bike.
“Hal” skateboard light: Do you know how many nights I bike home and almost collide with a skateboarder gliding through the bike lane dressed all in black? Okay, maybe almost collide is a but of an exaggeration, but seriously skateboarders: you guys (and gals) are hard to see at night! Go put one of these new Hal (Clever 2001: A Space Oddyssey reference, anyone?) safety lights under your board so I don’t mow you down on my PM commute.
