Hasta La Ideas

Over the past few days, we’ve seen the majority of the winners for the International Bicycle Design Competition (IBDC) 2013: the first 12, who won an invitation to a design workshop in Taiwan, and five more who won a bit of cash in addition to the invite. Without further ado, here are the judges’ selections for the top five prizes: Each of the designs seen here were deemed worthy of a very respectable 100,000 TWD prize (about $3,350).

ubqo sixty60 | Mountainbike Frame
Marco Giarrana – University of Design and Art, Basle, Switzerland

The ubqo sixty60 is a frame with strong, clean, independent lines that covers a wide range of uses. It eliminates the only real weak points of virtual pivot designs: it replaces two small linkages, which are exposed to extremely high loads, with large excenters, which can resist the loads much better and exhibit durability and stability. With its round-edged carbon profiles, the ubqo sixty60 is ready to tackle any terrain.

What the judges had to say: “It is a different frame design that is just like a universal adjustment for bikes of the newest generation.”

– I’m not sure exactly what’s going on with the points of articulation for the rear suspension, but it looks vaguely hubless to me.

The Glow Rider | Light System
Kuang-Chung Hao, Yi-Ching Lin & Yen-Liang Chen – National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, Taiwan

Bicycling in the dark can be extremely dangerous. The Glow Rider is a flashing light, a taillight and a projection light all in one. The Glow Rider is mounted on the rear fender; it acts as a high-powered taillight. At a flick of the switch, the Glow Rider projects a bright beam of light onto the rider’s back. This creates a larger lit surface area, which makes the rider significantly more visible in the rain or dark.

What the judges had to say: “The idea is applicable to potentially any bike. Though we think about the future, bikes are also about encouraging sustainability. The idea is self-sustainability and it’s a good marketing point.”

– We’ve seen lights that project images on the road, but this fender-mounted ‘bat signal’ is an interesting twist. Combine with retroreflectivity for maximum effect (i.e. Nike Vapor Flash).

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