Hasta La Ideas

A pair of wooden bicycle frames recently turned up in the ol’ inbox, I can’t help but take the opportunity to compare and contrast the two designs.

The “Wooden Bicycle” is the first product from
Flat Frame Systems, who eventually hopes to produce furniture as the company grows. Their first offering was actually inspired by a television program that Chief Designer Michael Cubbage saw as a child, featuring a futuristic motorbike that had a flat frame as opposed to tubes. (Since then, he’s honed his design skills as a technical illustrator and car stylist for GM South Africa.)

The product description notes that “a wooden bike is the most comfortable bike to ride, as it is slightly flexible,” and that it is at least nominally more sustainable that metal bicycles: lest we forget how plants work, the designer reminds us that “while the tree was growing it was absorbing carbon dioxide.”

While the frame itself is based on a traditional diamond frame, notable features include a thicker head tube and seat tube, not to mention the flattened seat- and chainstay clusters. As with Jose Rivera’s “Ice Cream” flat-pack bicycle concept, it is unclear to whether this there is a functional reason for the skeumorphic form; if not, it might as well look like this.

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