Hasta La Ideas

This weekend saw the unveiling of the collaborative bicycle designs that are going head to head in the third edition of the Oregon Manifest, in which five teams in as many cities set out to create and craft the best urban utility bike. As of Monday morning, the public is invited to vote on their favorite one, which may well be produced by Fuji Bikes in the near future. We are pleased to present exclusive Q&As with each team so they have a chance to explain why their bicycle is the best before the voting period closes this Sunday, August 3.

Yesterday, we heard from NYC’s Pensa × Horse Cycles. Here’s the story behind Industry × Ti Cycles‘s “SOLID,” representing Portland, Ore.

Core77: Did you and Ti Cycles know (or know of) each other before the collaboration? What was the matchmaking process like?

Garett Stenson (Industry): We knew of Ti Cycles’ reputation, their 25 years of experience, and expertise in bike craftsmanship. They are experts in metal, most notably, pushing the boundaries of titanium. The matchmaking and selection process for us was about close collaboration—is our builder willing to change the game, redefine the category, and truly make things better?

By its nature, the design/fabrication relationship for this collaboration is far more intimate than your average designer’s relationship with a contractor or manufacturer. To what degree did you educate each other on your respective areas of expertise?

To disrupt any category you need friction. Innovation hurts—tension is an important part of the process. We believe the best idea needs to be stress tested and the process, iterative. Bringing together Ti Cycles’ craftsman mentality with INDUSTRY’s modern and agile approach was the perfect marriage. We aligned on pushing the boundaries early on, yet respected each other’s expertise. At the end of the day, it was about creating a meaningful (and winning) result—together.

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