Hasta La Ideas

Earlier today, I posted a photo of a curious rectilinear bicycle design, wondering aloud about its origin. A few astute commenters were quick to point out that it “looks a whole lot like” Danish designer Michael Ubbesen Jakobsen’s BauBike (pictured throughout, unless otherwise noted), which dates back to 2009, when it made the rounds from the Salone to DMY, where it garnered a well-deserved jury selection.

The BauBike is inspired by Bauhaus design. It is constructed around the geometric shape of the square and the equilateral triangle. The design is stripped down to clean lines and raw material…

The design follows a set of formal rules, limiting the geometry to straight lines in a pattern of 60 and 90 degree angles in proportions following the principle of the golden section.

By limiting the form with a fixed set of design rules and stepping away from the traditional function-oriented approach to the design process, this project transcends the border between design and art, raising fundamental questions about the nature of the bike as design and as a lifestyle accessory and introducing a much needed playfulness on the bicycle scene.

In other words, someone saw fit to replicate the design with just a few modifications, detailed below. While imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, Michael was reportedly unaware that his design had somehow resurfaced Down Under. He politely acknowledged the “strong inspiration from my bike,” noting that “a few details [are] different from the Baubike, but the overall aesthetics are truly taken from Baubike.” (For his part, Nick of Saint Cloud has not responded to me as of press time.)

Heretofore known as “mystery bike”…

Due diligence aside, I’ll proceed to try and spot the major differences here.

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