Hasta La Ideas

When Trek released the 2016 Madone they dubbed it “the ultimate race bike”.  Yet as soon as that bike hit the streets, the design and engineering teams got to work on topping their efforts in the development of its successor. The 2019 Madone is available in both disc-brake and rim-brake variants, is more aerodynamic and includes a number of updated and refined design features.

At the start of the 2019 Trek Madone SLR development journey, the Trek R&D team collectively agreed that the key goal for their next generation road was to offer a more refined experience for the rider. One of the first meetings involved placing sticky notes on all the areas of the 2016 bike that could be improved and refined.

“Whether that’s a more refined function, ride quality, or aesthetic, we knew that we should build on the already successful 2016 Madone by improving the details. I believe we’ve set the benchmark for high-end road bike integration and design.” says Jon Russell, Trek’s industrial designer.

From that initial design meeting, the team then spent almost a year in the theoretical world; researching, brainstorming, conceptualizing, prototyping, modeling, analyzing…

“We had hundreds of individual ideas which were each explored conceptually, then ranked on a variety of metrics. Coming up with an interesting idea is the easy part. Exploring it further, massaging out the kinks, selling it to management, and ultimately testing the ideas, was the hard part,” says Russell.

As the Madone represents the cutting edge in performance, technology and design, inspiration was drawn from other industries like automotive, aerospace, furniture and architecture. Following research and brainstorming, Russell started to sketch ideas. “Ideas like utilizing part-lines as graphic breakups, letting wind drive the form, expressing gesture through proportion, and pushing our brand language to the next level while still maintaining familiarity.

“I also sketched hundreds of different ideas for features like integrated electronics, adjustable bar widths, or top tube IsoSpeed, to name a few. Although most of these ideas didn’t make it to production, they are still potential opportunities for Trek in the future.” adds Russell.

Polygonal modeling was used for fast iteration as engineering and design changes can be made almost immediately. “The fluidity of modeling gives me the flexibility to make 100+ small tweaks a day, refining the design until I’m happy with the shape. It’s very similar to the benefits of clay modeling, just digital.” says Russell.

As a race bike, aerodynamics are paramount and presented a sculptural challenge for the team. The highlight lines in the above images show what Trek refer to as ‘kammtail virtual foil‘ (KVF), which is a unique truncated aerodynamic profile. This provides most of the benefits of a full airfoil but in a more structurally efficient shape.

“One of the key attributes of this KVF shape are the two corners on the trailing edge. I took advantage of these corners to move the eye through the form and to aerodynamically improve certain tube intersections. Bringing the outside corner of the fork leg into the down-tube not only improves the airflow as it transitions off the fork into the frame, but it offers a nice parallel to our brand’s signature ‘brow’ feature, which carries the eye from the head-tube all the way back to the dropout,” explains Russell.

As Russell explains, because aerodynamic bikes have broader surfaces, controlling how light and reflections behave on a surface is extremely important especially in how it relates to color and finish. “Matte paint shows how sculptural the form is whereas, due to the broader surfaces, gloss strongly reflects the environment. I worked closely with the graphic designer on the project, Micah Moran, to ensure that regardless which color or finish a customer was chosen, the paint and graphics remain flawless.”

To finish the R&D process, Trek’s engineers made full carbon fiber prototypes for analysis and testing. “These prototypes are a testament to our dedication to R&D – we took the time and effort to make custom tooling for all the components, even before we settled onto a final design,” admits Russell.

The final design features several small improvements from the 2016 model, which culminate in a significant overall improvement.

The first is the integrated cockpit, which Russell describes as a completely different animal from the 2016 bike. “Ergonomically improved in both the flats and accessing the drops. The back-sweep on the flats puts your hands at a more natural and comfortable position, simultaneously pulling your elbows inward for a more aerodynamic stance. The transition from the flat to the hoods has also been reshaped to increase wrist clearance in the drops.”

The adjustable top tube IsoSpeed allows riders to adjust compliance, and it’s damped with an elastomer so even when it’s in the most compliant setting, it won’t bounce on the road.

“The all new damper technology uses an elastomer to control the flexing tube’s rebound. If you imagine a pogo stick, when the spring is compressed, it releases that energy back, shooting you up. The elastomer slows the rebound energy in a controlled motion, making for a really smooth ride,” describes Russell.

“The new Madone seat post design integrates the clamp inside the frame. This helps streamline the design and also allows us to paint match the seat post to the frame, giving it a modern, custom look most bikes don’t have.

“The new Bontrager Flare R has a dedicated mount for the new Madone. It attaches in seconds via a tool-free clip onto the seat-post hardware for an integrated look. Riding with a taillight is probably the best preventative safety measure and it shouldn’t detract from the bike’s sleek aesthetic,” explains Russell.

Although Trek admits to preferring disc brakes there are riders who still prefer rim brakes, so it decided to offer both choices in the design. “It was very challenging to design such an integrated, highly optimized bike around two completely different braking systems. The result in either case is what we call the ultimate race bike,” says Russell.

The 2019 Madone SLR 9 is ready for purchase and customers can choose from a variety of paint options as part of the new Trek Project One Icon.

Meanwhile the R&D team are hard at work on future bicycle designs. That’s the funny thing about designing in this field, you live and breathe a design for several years, but then before it even launches you’re already working on future models. It will be interesting to see where Trek goes next!

The Apple Watch is literally almost a phone. With a virtual sim card of its own, and a whole lot of other features that make it quite an independently capable device, the Apple Watch is capable of being much more than a smartwatch, and Satechi’s Grip Mount gives it another purpose, other than that of a smartwatch, and another home, other than your wrist.

Satechi’s Grip Mount for the Apple Watch allows you to attach the device (sans the wristbands) to your car, cycle, or motorbike, allowing it to work in conjunction with the vehicle, serving the purpose of a navigational device that also lets you answer and reject calls, or even control music. The fact that the Watch comes with Bluetooth makes it perfect for your car, allowing you to connect it to the car’s audio system for on-board calls, navigational guidance, or for controlling music playback. You can also use it on a bicycle, letting it run the Cyclemeter app to capture the amount of exercise you’re getting too! The Apple Watch, chock-a-block with cutting edge technology, is capable of being much more than a wrist-mounted smart-device. The Satechi Grip Mount does it a fair bit of justice.

Designer: Satechi

Click Here to Buy Now

Click Here to Buy Now

Massachusetts firm Maryann Thompson Architects has enlarged a shingle-style house by opening up its ground floor, and building two additions on the grassy coastal property.

Cove House is situated on Martha’s Vineyard – an island off the coast of Massachusetts that has long been a popular vacation spot.

The home comprises an existing, two-storey gabled building clad in shingles and featuring white-framed windows – similar to many traditional residences across the US Northeast.

Measuring 8,000 square feet (743 square metres), this was fully renovated by Maryann Thompson Architects with crisp, white interiors and other new window designs to emphasise the surrounding natural scenery.

The studio also reconfigured the ground floor, creating a larger kitchen and adding a second master suite where a garage once stood.

A new garage and a separate boathouse – in the form of two wooden buildings – were built to replace the repurposed portion of the home, and provide extra space.

Both are clad in timber to relate to the original home’s construction, but the boathouse has a more contemporary touch with vertical boards covering a curving portion that is cut out from the rectangular volume.

“The boathouse includes an inconspicuous kitchenette as well as sheltered boat storage, outdoor rinse stations with a view of the cove, and an underground sauna with curving cedar benches and a grotto-like stone wash station,” said Maryann Thompson Architects in a project description.

For the interiors across the project, the studio collaborated with Shelter from Asheville, North Carolina, for furniture, wallpaper and detailing.

A spacious dining and living room features a cylindrical glass fireplace in the centre of the room. Replacing a masonry design, a conical steel flue sits on top, while the base is built from brick.

The dropped ceiling was removed to expose the roof’s pitched form, and structural walnut beams.

A kitchen next to the dining area features windows that resemble a greenhouse, which fold down from a skylight to a horizontal window. New glass doors lead to a herb garden, courtyard and poolside, where the landscaping was completed by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA).

The ground-floor master suite overlooks the garden, and another bedroom was converted into a music room.

Upstairs, much of the layout was retained with four bedrooms kept in their original locations. In two of these rooms, windows were enlarged to add a more modern feel to the otherwise traditional home. Glass balustrades along the stairwell that leads to the basement were added for a similar effect.

Throughout the home, white wood panelling is laid across the walls and ceiling. Light wood floors help to keep the interiors natural and relaxed.

Shingled houses are common in New England, while some architects have used the traditional cladding technique for more contemporary building forms. Examples include the Somes Sound House by Matthew Baird in Maine, a family lake house by Deborah Richards in Massachusetts, and the Underhill residence by Bates Masi on Long Island.

Photography is by Chuck Choi.

The post Maryann Thompson refurbishes and extends shingled Cove House in Martha’s Vineyard appeared first on Dezeen.

When Trek released the 2016 Madone they dubbed it “the ultimate race bike”.  Yet as soon as that bike hit the streets, the design and engineering teams got to work on topping their efforts in the development of its successor. The 2019 Madone is available in both disc-brake and rim-brake variants, is more aerodynamic and includes a number of updated and refined design features.

At the start of the 2019 Trek Madone SLR development journey, the Trek R&D team collectively agreed that the key goal for their next generation road was to offer a more refined experience for the rider. One of the first meetings involved placing sticky notes on all the areas of the 2016 bike that could be improved and refined.

“Whether that’s a more refined function, ride quality, or aesthetic, we knew that we should build on the already successful 2016 Madone by improving the details. I believe we’ve set the benchmark for high-end road bike integration and design.” says Jon Russell, Trek’s industrial designer.

From that initial design meeting, the team then spent almost a year in the theoretical world; researching, brainstorming, conceptualizing, prototyping, modeling, analyzing…

“We had hundreds of individual ideas which were each explored conceptually, then ranked on a variety of metrics. Coming up with an interesting idea is the easy part. Exploring it further, massaging out the kinks, selling it to management, and ultimately testing the ideas, was the hard part,” says Russell.

As the Madone represents the cutting edge in performance, technology and design, inspiration was drawn from other industries like automotive, aerospace, furniture and architecture. Following research and brainstorming, Russell started to sketch ideas. “Ideas like utilizing part-lines as graphic breakups, letting wind drive the form, expressing gesture through proportion, and pushing our brand language to the next level while still maintaining familiarity.

“I also sketched hundreds of different ideas for features like integrated electronics, adjustable bar widths, or top tube IsoSpeed, to name a few. Although most of these ideas didn’t make it to production, they are still potential opportunities for Trek in the future.” adds Russell.

Polygonal modeling was used for fast iteration as engineering and design changes can be made almost immediately. “The fluidity of modeling gives me the flexibility to make 100+ small tweaks a day, refining the design until I’m happy with the shape. It’s very similar to the benefits of clay modeling, just digital.” says Russell.

As a race bike, aerodynamics are paramount and presented a sculptural challenge for the team. The highlight lines in the above images show what Trek refer to as ‘kammtail virtual foil‘ (KVF), which is a unique truncated aerodynamic profile. This provides most of the benefits of a full airfoil but in a more structurally efficient shape.

“One of the key attributes of this KVF shape are the two corners on the trailing edge. I took advantage of these corners to move the eye through the form and to aerodynamically improve certain tube intersections. Bringing the outside corner of the fork leg into the down-tube not only improves the airflow as it transitions off the fork into the frame, but it offers a nice parallel to our brand’s signature ‘brow’ feature, which carries the eye from the head-tube all the way back to the dropout,” explains Russell.

As Russell explains, because aerodynamic bikes have broader surfaces, controlling how light and reflections behave on a surface is extremely important especially in how it relates to color and finish. “Matte paint shows how sculptural the form is whereas, due to the broader surfaces, gloss strongly reflects the environment. I worked closely with the graphic designer on the project, Micah Moran, to ensure that regardless which color or finish a customer was chosen, the paint and graphics remain flawless.”

To finish the R&D process, Trek’s engineers made full carbon fiber prototypes for analysis and testing. “These prototypes are a testament to our dedication to R&D – we took the time and effort to make custom tooling for all the components, even before we settled onto a final design,” admits Russell.

The final design features several small improvements from the 2016 model, which culminate in a significant overall improvement.

The first is the integrated cockpit, which Russell describes as a completely different animal from the 2016 bike. “Ergonomically improved in both the flats and accessing the drops. The back-sweep on the flats puts your hands at a more natural and comfortable position, simultaneously pulling your elbows inward for a more aerodynamic stance. The transition from the flat to the hoods has also been reshaped to increase wrist clearance in the drops.”

The adjustable top tube IsoSpeed allows riders to adjust compliance, and it’s damped with an elastomer so even when it’s in the most compliant setting, it won’t bounce on the road.

“The all new damper technology uses an elastomer to control the flexing tube’s rebound. If you imagine a pogo stick, when the spring is compressed, it releases that energy back, shooting you up. The elastomer slows the rebound energy in a controlled motion, making for a really smooth ride,” describes Russell.

“The new Madone seat post design integrates the clamp inside the frame. This helps streamline the design and also allows us to paint match the seat post to the frame, giving it a modern, custom look most bikes don’t have.

“The new Bontrager Flare R has a dedicated mount for the new Madone. It attaches in seconds via a tool-free clip onto the seat-post hardware for an integrated look. Riding with a taillight is probably the best preventative safety measure and it shouldn’t detract from the bike’s sleek aesthetic,” explains Russell.

Although Trek admits to preferring disc brakes there are riders who still prefer rim brakes, so it decided to offer both choices in the design. “It was very challenging to design such an integrated, highly optimized bike around two completely different braking systems. The result in either case is what we call the ultimate race bike,” says Russell.

The 2019 Madone SLR 9 is ready for purchase and customers can choose from a variety of paint options as part of the new Trek Project One Icon.

Meanwhile the R&D team are hard at work on future bicycle designs. That’s the funny thing about designing in this field, you live and breathe a design for several years, but then before it even launches you’re already working on future models. It will be interesting to see where Trek goes next!

The second collection from digital-first fashion house Neuro Studio, the SOLVENTUS 2019 release is a futuristic vision of on-demand clothing. The zero-waste concept exists entirely online until an order is placed – only then does it go into production. As far as looks go, the designs range from tights and pants to jackets and coats. Technical details include a seamless structure, convertible elements, breathable materials, and release straps featuring FIDLOCK buckles. With an all-black colorway with minimal hits of a signature “neo mint” hue, this contemporary collection is perfect for anyone looking to leave their traditional threads behind.

Designer: Clement Balavoine