Hasta La Ideas

The ultimate test of biking endurance on Raleigh’s 2012 RXC Pro

Fighting gravel, dirt, grass, sand, mud and gravity, cyclocross is not for the casual pedal-pusher. The rugged style of bike racing combines criterium (intense short circuits) and cross country. Cyclists navigate multiple laps around a relatively short course—1.5-2 miles—while intermittently dismounting and remounting over obstacles and unrideable terrain. Still, recent years have seen the popularity of the near 100-year-old sport evolve into one of the fastest-growing trends in cycling since it made its way to the States from Europe in the ’70s. Thousands show up to cyclocross events in the Pacific Northwest and increasing numbers are adapting cyclocross bikes to city use.

The bike itself resembles a road bike, but with wider clearance, cantilever brakes, lower gears and stronger, more durable components built to withstand abuse both on and off road. Charging into the cyclocross movement, Raleigh recently introduced their 2012 lineup of full carbon and steel cyclocross bicycles.

To launch the new bikes Raleigh sponsored the 2011 Midsummer Nights Cyclocross Race, inviting me to try my luck at it riding the 2012 RXC Pro. Moments into the first lap I seriously contemplated watching the rest of the race from the beer garden, but the bike’s full carbon frameset laced with the finest SRAM Rival components was too exciting to skip.

This all-terrain machine with its sleek matte black finish is a perfect mixture of beauty and beast. Crucial design adjustments like dual-option brakes and the flat underside of the top tube made descending the sand steeps on bike and ascending on foot a less arduous process. The tight, stiff frame responded well to the sharp curves and unforeseen obstacles. With a sticker price of $5,000, Raleigh’s top-of-the-line cyclocross monster is pure performance at a mid-level price point, dropping late this Fall in select specialty shops.

Responding to urbanites who embrace the bikes as tougher, stronger alternatives to standard commuters, also new for 2012 is the Furley. The bold single-speed sports disk brakes sure to keep you in control during the winter months without destroying your wheelset and beefier tires for those annoying cobblestone streets. Available at a considerably more affordable price point of $800, come mid-September the Furley will deliver strength and power both on the cyclocross track and in the city streets.

Photography by Jake Hanson and Justin Gural

Calling all (former) club kids and party people. Heineken launched their first Open Design Exploration with a brief to graphic, motion, fashion, product and interior designers to design the club of the future. The process will be a collaborative conversation between the 20 chosen finalists and the final experience, a fully outfitted and functional club space will be unveiled in Milan during the Salone in April 2012. Dont miss this unique opportunity to see your ideas and concepts become a reality. The deadline for entry is August 14th. See full details here (through facebook) and check out their concept video after the jump. We’ll see you on the dancefloor in April!

(more…)

For the past few months, during nightly dog walks I’ve been passing an under-renovation place on Crosby Street with a big sign that said “Coming Soon: SoHo Synagogue.” Last month they finally took the paper off the glass, revealing a very modern, barcode-like pattern on the windows that I wouldn’t expect of a religious institution. I wondered if it would be similarly design-ey inside.

Now I know. Turns out it’s none other than Studio Dror that was behind the design, and the interior is even cooler than the facade.

A glass table with QuaDror feet mans the reception area, and the below-ground sanctuary area is a classic SoHo, beautifully raw industrial space made stylishly warmer with Edison bulbs.

(more…)

In anticipation of Device Design Day 2011, we’ve partnered with Kicker Studio to bring you a series where speakers from this year’s conference reflect on six questions about design and their practice. D3 brings together visual, interaction and industrial designers for a multi-disciplinary conversation about the design of consumer electronics and objects with embedded technology.

As a special thank you to Core77 readers, get 10% off registration for this year’s Device Design Day with the code: FOC77! Register today!!

For the last two months we’ve been bringing you a Friday treat; insight into the speakers from this year’s Device Design Day. Now, with the conference only one week away, we’re drawing the series to a close with industry veteran Robert Brunner of Ammunition. Read on to learn more about the Olivetti Divisumma 18 calculator, the power of empathy and the importance of responsibility in design.

After graduating in industrial design from San Jose State University in 1981, Robert co-founded the design consultancy Lunar. Subsequently, he was hired as Director of Industrial Design for Apple Computer where he served for 7 years. In 1996, he was appointed partner in the international firm Pentagram, helping lead the San Francisco office. In 2006, Brunner launched the start-up Fuego, a new concept in outdoor grilling. In 2007, Robert founded Ammunition, focusing on the overlap between product design, brand and experience. Around the same time, he helped launch the Beats by Dr. Dre brand of headphones with Interscope chairman Jimmy Iovine and hip hop icon Dr. Dre.

Robert has received numerous awards for his work in product design from prestigious organizations such as IDSA, Red Dot, Good Design, and iF. His work is also included in the Museum of Modern Art product collections in New York and San Francisco. In 2008, Robert co-authored the book Do you matter? How great design will make people love your company along with Success Built to Last author Stewart Emery. He has also taught advanced product design at Stanford University.

Read on for more from this year’s Device Design Day speakers:
Six Questions for Liz Bacon, Devise
Six Questions for Charles Goran, T-Mobile
Six Questions for Karen Kaushansky, Jawbone
Six Questions for Mike Kruzeniski, Microsoft
Six Questions for Branko Lukic, NONOBJECT
Six Questions for Cori Schauer, NASA
Six Questions for Leila Takayama, Willow Grange

Kicker Studio: What is the most cherished product in your life? Why?

This is hard to answer. I really don’t have a lot of things that I could describe as cherished. I have lots of things I like, and they tend to move in and out of “cherished” status. My Jasper Morrison “Low Pad” chairs are a long term love. Or my Eames benches that serve as coffee tables in my living room. But I guess my current cherish is my Audi S5. Love the car. Great merging of emotional/functional design, performance and sensitive detail. Above all I love the sound. It makes me feel great every time I drive it.

(more…)

P.S. We Love You Looks from the fall 2011 Proenza Schouler collection.

Last month, Proenza Schouler‘s Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez set some kind of land-speed fashion achievement record by collecting their second womenswear designer of the year award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America for a label that is less than a decade old. Today the dynamic duo have new bosses in fashion industry veterans Andrew Rosen (Theory) and John Howard (Irving Place Capital), who head up a group of investors that have acquired a non-majority stake in Proenza Schouler from European private equity firm Permira. Financial terms of the deal, which was first reported this afternoon by WWD, were not disclosed, and Permira-owned Valentino Fashion Group will retain a small share in Proenza Schouler. A statement received by WWD describes the new partnership as a “recapitalization” that will allow the brand to blossom. “We believe that the Proenza business is the future of American luxury, and uniquely poised to compete in a global marketplace, which is currently dominated by European designers,” said Rosen and Howard in a joint statement issued today. “In infusing this brand with our resources and experience, we will position this business to achieve its full potential.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.