Hasta La Ideas

Even without bringing the economy up, needing to own two sets of e-bikes just sounds like a silly idea. Most urban commute bikes can’t endure off-road adventures, and rugged terrain-ready e-bikes aren’t really meant for lightweight long-range last-mile commutes. If you’re going to design an e-bike, the holy grail is to make one that serves both those needs perfectly. The perfect e-bike needs to have a powerful motor, a durable design, a lightweight build, adaptable riding modes, and a range that serves longer journeys well. The Elixe eBike hopes to embody that definition of perfection – with a rugged 6061 aluminum frame that weighs a mere 42 pounds, punctureless tires, a 500W motor coupled with a torque sensor, 5 riding modes, and a range of 65 miles with a top speed of 28mph, the Elixe is quite the contender for the ideal all-purpose e-bike. Oh, and it has a removable battery, a smartphone app, and anti-theft features.

Designers: J Goyal, Frank Butcher and Sashi K

Click Here to Buy Now: $679 $1699 (60% off). Hurry, exclusive deal for YD readers only! Raised over $161,000.

The heart of the Elixe experience is its robust frame. Constructed from lightweight yet robust 6061 aluminum alloy, the frame prioritizes rider comfort with a strategically placed seat and upright handlebars that promote a relaxed posture, minimizing strain on joints for extended journeys. This ergonomic design is seamlessly integrated with advanced technology, creating an unparalleled level of freedom and ease on two wheels. The frame’s impressive 42 lbs weight keeps the overall eBike maneuverable, while the sturdy construction ensures it can handle any adventure, from city streets to rugged trails.

Elixe’s Five Dynamic Pedal Assist Modes

The frame features an integrated removable 14Ah battery that sits flush inside the e-bike’s main pillar. Made from EV-grade Samsung cells, the battery gives the Elixe a range of 65 miles, delivering power to the 500W rear-wheel Bafang motor (EU riders get a 250W motor as required by EU guidelines). Riders can personalize their experience with Elixe’s five distinct pedal-assist modes. Glide effortlessly through cityscapes or conquer demanding terrains – the perfect level of assistance awaits to match any rhythm and riding style. Elixe also offers an intuitive throttle mode for effortless power on demand. With a simple twist, you can get a quick boost on inclines or navigate busy streets without the constant pedaling. An integrated torque sensor detects the force applied to the pedals, seamlessly adjusting motor output for a natural and responsive ride. Whether you’re cruising effortlessly or tackling a steep incline, the torque sensor ensures a perfect balance of power and effort, making every ride feel smooth and enjoyable.

Swap-and-Go: The Removable Battery

Mastering Terrain with Elixe’s Front Fork Suspension

Elixe’s Puncture-Protected Tires Ensure A Safe Journey

The puncture-proof tires are just a clever feature that sets the Elixe apart. Most e-bike riders have range anxiety… but a flat tire is just something nobody looks forward to. Ensuring that your e-bike doesn’t give up on you in the middle of a ride makes the Elixe feel much more reliable as you ride it, knowing that the e-bike can absolutely handle anything you throw at it. Meanwhile, the hydraulic front fork suspension absorbs bumps and jolts with ease, providing a smooth ride across any landscape. This advanced suspension system enhances handling and stability, allowing riders to navigate even the roughest terrains with confidence and control.

Instant Power with Elixe’s Throttle Mode

Ride Easy with Torque Sensor

A sleek and intuitive dashboard displays key metrics like speed, battery life, and distance traveled, allowing riders to stay informed and plan their journeys effectively. Like any good e-bike, it also comes with anti-theft features that prevent the e-bike from being stolen or towed away without your knowledge. The frame is embedded with a GPS tracker, accessible through the Elixe smartphone app. This app not only tracks the eBike’s location in real time but also sends instant alerts for suspicious activity. Additionally, the app allows riders to remotely lock the motor, deterring potential theft. The Elixe app goes beyond security; it enhances the entire riding experience. Riders can utilize the app to effortlessly track trips, analyze metrics like calories burned, and set fitness goals. The app also allows for remote customization of pedal-assist modes and access to a variety of additional features designed to maximize enjoyment and performance. With the Elixe app, every ride becomes a connected, informative, and secure experience.

Available in two styles – a step-thru frame for shorter riders, and a step-over frame for taller patrons, the Elixe offers 5 color variants to choose from. The 250W motor variant ships globally (although it’s specifically designed for the EU market) and is priced at $679, while the US-only 500W motor version is priced at $849. For the price, you get the e-bike, a charger for the battery (which takes 2.5 hours to charge fully), a kickstand, a toolkit, and a 3-year warranty. You can add more accessories to your pledge like an extra battery, a fast charger, a rear rack, a front basket, a tire inflator, or if you’re feeling very experimental, a cargo trailer!

Click Here to Buy Now: $679 $1699 (60% off). Hurry, exclusive deal for YD readers only! Raised over $161,000.

The post 65 Mile Range and a 500W Motor make this E-Bike Perfect for roads and rough terrain alike first appeared on Yanko Design.

Designed by Swedish studio Broberg and Ridderstråle, this simple yet distinguished Pause bench is a versatile furniture design that would make an exceptional addition to your living space. It is designed for the furniture brand Asplund, and it was created to be a “zen-like seat” that encourages and supports users to sit and rest, thereby inspiring the name Pause.

Designer: Broberg & Ridderstråle for Asplund

Crafted from a combination of lacquered oak veneer and solid oak, the Pause bench is a beautifully designed piece that is simple and humble, and yet possesses the ability to truly uplift any space it is placed into. The Pause bench is available with or without armrests, so you can pick the option that perfectly works for you. It is available in four color finishes, which include white stain and charcoal stain. The bench is a versatile furniture design that can be placed in a variety of settings ranging from a hallway behind a sofa or even at the foot of a bed.

“We have chosen a seemingly simple but high-quality material with obvious natural details to achieve the function and tactility that we have felt was missing in the market,” said creative director Sandra Adrian Asplund. “[It is] minimalistic and distinct with classic dignity that opens up for multiple uses in any space, public or domestic.” What makes the Pause bench stand out is its sheer simplicity and attention to detail, which allows it to truly stand out without occupying too much space, or commanding too much attention.

If you’re someone who loves minimal, subtle, and yet intricately designed furniture pieces then you must look into the Pause bench. It is the kind of furniture design that can uplift any living space with its simple contours, versatile utility, and humble aesthetics. Pick the finish that works well for your interior space!

The post The Versatile Pause Bench Is The Definition Of Minimalist, Humble Yet Functional Furniture Design first appeared on Yanko Design.

With the release of the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC, the battle for the thinnest watch has reached the slimmest size. Taking on watchmakers like Richard Mille and Piaget in the run for the crown, the new Bulgari is a more capable and slimmer rendition of the Octo Finissimo Ultra, the company’s previous slender watch which once held the coveted title of being the skinniest wristwatch.

Watch enthusiasts, especially Bulgari lovers, would remember the Octo Finissimo Ultra from 2022, which then was the thinnest mechanical watch on the planet measuring only 1.8mm at the thickest point. The watch was finished in a 40mm sandblasted titanium case with an integrated bracelet customized to complement the record-breaking watch’s form factor.

Designer: Bulgari

Despite the slimness to offer, the record-setting Octo Finissimo Ultra had that glory shortened by Richard Millie’s Ferrari collaboration timepiece that took watchmaking to a new slimmer form factor. The RM UP-01 Ferrari manual winding ultra flat – as the collab was named – became the new record-setter with slimness measuring .05mm thinner than the Bulgari’s watch.

Richard Millie’s offering lived on as the world’s thinnest watch since. It’s finally overthrown by the new Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC, which puts Bulgari back on the top of the record list. The new Bulgari, to that accord, is the world’s slimmest mechanical watch with only 1.70mm thickness. The new milestone in watchmaking comes along with independent Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC) certification assuring precision and accuracy in time telling. Thanks to the certification, Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC also becomes the thinnest COSC-certified watch, adding another feature to its cap of utmost sleekness.

In addition to the minimum slimness, Bulgari’s new watch has notable features which start with its sandblasted titanium case and tungsten carbide caseback. Paired with a matching strap, the world’s thinnest watch will be strictly limited to just 20 examples with each priced at $529,000. Given the 1.70mm thickness we’re taking about, it’s a given that winding the watch wouldn’t be easy. Understandably then, Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC be provided with a case for its automatic setting and winding.

The post Bulgari leads the battle for the thinnest mechanical watch with Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC first appeared on Yanko Design.

Brooklyn architecture studio Allied Works has created a building with interlocking boxy forms clad in sandstone and steel for the Palmer Museum of Art in University Park, USA.

The sprawling structure serves as a home to The Pennsylvania State University’s (Penn State) art collections, which fill the galleries and storage areas of the 73,000-square-foot (6,781 square metre) structure.

It consists of a series of boxy forms of varying heights – called “vessels” by the studio – that spread out adjacent to the wooded landscape of the campus’s Arboretum and botanical gardens.

Its rectilinear envelopes are broken in the middle, and the two primary elements are attached by an enclosed overpass, under which passes the primary path to the Arboretum so that the structure functions like a gateway. The smaller of the two volumes contains the administrative offices of the museum.

Allied Works clad much of the building with regional sandstone, which aims to draw a connection to many of the stone and brick early 19th-century buildings of the campus.

However, the form of the building is decidedly contemporary, with a tectonic height variation between the different pavilions within the structure.  The arrangement of the structure was chosen to continue the patterns of the site and to create a connection between art and the landscape, according to Allied Works.

Stainless steel screens were installed in front of the facade windows, giving variation to the otherwise consistent stone facade. They also serve a practical function of protecting the art inside from direct sunlight.

Inside, the floor plan is spread over two above-ground levels. Some have two separate floors for gallery space and amenities, while others – like the lobby and select galleries – are double-height.

The sandstone of the exterior continues into the lobby, which has terrazzo flooring. All of the gallery spaces have oak flooring and casework.

Many of the gallery spaces have skylights, taking advantage of the long footprint of the building to maximise natural lighting. To help preserve the artwork the skylights were outfitted with billowing fabric shades.

The museum has 20 galleries to show American, Asian and European art as well as a section dedicated to contemporary glass. To that end, the museum features a site-specific installation by American glass artist Dave Chihuly that “anchors” the museum’s lobby staircase and consists of glass flowers informed by the gardens.

According to the museum team, it will also open with a “collective digital canvas” where visitors are invited to colour in plants that are then added to a digital display with moving and auditory elements.

The museum is set to open to the public on 1 June 2024.

Other projects by Allied Works include a veterans memorial in Columbus, Ohio and a massive, bronze-clad music centre in Canada.

The photography is by Jeremy Bittermann.

The post Allied Works layers sandstone for facade of Pennsylvania museum appeared first on Dezeen.

In order to manufacture the clothes we wear, things have to be pulled out of the ground. Plants for fibers, petroleum for technical fabrics. But a startup called Human Material Loop has a more sustainable idea: To create textiles out of human hair.

“Every day, hundreds of tonnes of hair clippings are thrown out,” the company writes, on a section of their website addressing hair salon owners. “All the while, the textile industry is in dire need of a more sustainable, repurposed textile source. We have a solution for both – transforming your hair waste into textile fibers. Because ultimately, your hair clippings are just raw material in the wrong place.”

The company reckons that human hair isn’t just abundant, but the right material to make clothes out of:

“Human hair…possesses incredible durability and strength (one ponytail could hold two elephants). Like wool or alpaca, it’s composed largely of keratin protein fibers, making it natural, thermal, biodegradable and moisture-regulating, sans the cruelty or allergic reactions.”

The company claims they can turn hair into knits and weaves that are hypoallergenic, heat-retentive and antibacterial.

They also say they’ve produced a sweater, a “tweed-like blazer” and a parka insulated with human hair for testing. Currently they’re gathering hair from salons in the Netherlands (where they’re based), Belgium and Luxembourg.

It’s a fascinating idea, assuming it works. And while they say they can dye the textiles they create, they don’t mention from what specific source color of hair; I wonder if they can turn black hair into different colors. China and India have 3 billion people between them, and the continent of Africa another 1.2 billion; those populations have predominantly black hair and add up to more than half the planet’s population. The hair textures of those populations are also distinct from that of the Low Countries from which the company has been sourcing their trial hair.

It will be interesting to see what different varieties can be produced from different populations’ hair types (unless it’s all the same after the lab process).