Italy’s Stylish, Customizable Dudebike: A vibrant modernization of vintage cycling craftsmanship that’s customizable and doesn’t “make you look like a nerd”

Italy's Stylish, Customizable Dudebike


Francesco Bordin—creative director and co-founder at Dudebike—best explains the recipe that led to the increasing success of its new creation: “Take a typical Italian folding bike of the ’60s and ’70s with 20-inch wheels, take away…

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Double O Bike Light: Celebrated British designer Paul Cocksedge introduces a sleek, circular bike light

Double O Bike Light


While there’s been no shortage of innovations in the bike light category in recent years, there’s always room for improvement. Taking a rather unorthodox approach to the bicycle safety essential, UK’s Paul Cocksedge hopes to introduce the );…

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Paul Cocksedge’s Double O bike lights slot securely around a D-lock

London designer Paul Cocksedge has launched a set of circular bike lights on Kickstarter that can be locked to a bicycle by slotting them over a standard lock (+ movie).

Double O bicycle lights by Paul Cocksedge

Cocksedge said he wanted to design a stylish light that also confronts issues associated with theft and glare resulting from light sources that are too bright.

Double O bicycle lights by Paul Cocksedge

“I’ve used many bike lights but I feel some things could really be improved,” the designer explained. “The inspiration for Double O comes directly from the shape of the bicycle. I wanted something that almost looked like the bike had designed it itself.”

Double O bicycle lights by Paul Cocksedge

The round lights feature a polycarbonate shell with a robust silicone backing housing 12 LEDs that are more spaced out than the densely arranged ultra-bright bulbs used by many other bike lights.

Double O bicycle lights by Paul Cocksedge

Cocksedge said this configuration produces a bright glow that is less dazzling for other cyclists and car drivers. “We use more LEDs at less power, which means the harshness is gone but the brightness hasn’t,” he said. “There is no compromise, you can see and be seen.”

Double O bicycle lights by Paul Cocksedge

A button on the back of the light enables the user to switch between steady, flashing and eco modes.

Double O bicycle lights by Paul Cocksedge

The lights contain magnets that allow them to clip onto a bike mount when in use and snap together to protect the LED surface when they are removed from the bike.

Double O bicycle lights by Paul Cocksedge

Once attached to one another, the two lights can be slotted over a typical D-lock and locked up with the bike so cyclists don’t need to carry them around.

Double O bicycle lights by Paul Cocksedge

Cocksedge has launched a campaign on crowdsourcing website Kickstarter aiming to raise £75,000 to fund prototyping, tooling and manufacture of the product.

Double O bicycle lights by Paul Cocksedge

Photography is by Mark Cocksedge.

Here’s some more information from the designer:


Paul Cocksedge launches the Double O bike light on Kickstarter

Today Paul Cocksedge Studio® launches its second innovative design on crowd-funding platform Kickstarter. Following on from the success of the Vamp®, Paul has this time turned his attention to bike lights, creating a product that will revolutionise the market and provide an intuitive and practical solution for cycling enthusiasts and leisure users alike. Cycle safety was a crucial element in the design and the resulting product is a simple, safe and secure light for everyday cycling.

Double O bicycle lights by Paul Cocksedge

Double O, named after its distinctive shape, is inspired by the form of the bicycle and the fluid motion of cycling. Double O attaches magnetically to the bike-mount supplied, making it super easy to get on and off, minimising any fiddling that gets in the way of the flow of cycling. It consists of two ‘O’ shaped lights, one white light for the front, one red for the back. When not in use, these magnetically connect together to protect the LED face.

One of the most common problems with bike lights is the safe keeping of them whilst a bike is locked up. The unique shape of the Double O allows users to thread the lights through a D lock and leave them secured along with their bike, eliminating the need for cyclists to carry their lights around with them.

Double O bicycle lights by Paul Cocksedge

Most existing bike lights use ultra-bright LEDs which are packed too closely together. This causes a very bright light which is blinding for car drivers and approaching cyclists. Double O tackles this issue by using 12 LEDs which are spaced out creating a bright yet soft glow, enabling cyclists to be seen without dazzling others. The light has three modes: steady, flashing and eco which can be changed via a push button.

Double O is made from a polycarbonate shell with silicone backing and is extremely robust and hardwearing. Bike lights come in all shapes and sizes but none as practical and as stylish as Double O’s. These powerful lights are very likely to be the last ones you’ll ever need to get for your bike and also do away with batteries as they are USB chargeable.

Double O bicycle lights by Paul Cocksedge

Paul Cocksedge says: “As with so many people, cycling is an essential part of my life, and cycling safety is crucial. I’ve used many bike lights but I feel some things could really be improved. I wanted to design a bike light and the inspiration for Double O comes directly from the shape of the bicycle. I wanted something that almost looked like the bike had designed it itself.”

The post Paul Cocksedge’s Double O bike lights
slot securely around a D-lock
appeared first on Dezeen.

Cup holder by Bookman for coffee-fuelled cycling

Swedish bicycle accessory brand Bookman has created a cup holder that snaps onto handlebars so city bikers can cycle with their takeaway coffees (+ movie).

Cup holder by Bookman for coffee-fuelled cycling

The Bookman cup holder is constructed out of two rings and a steel spring, completely free of screws and glue.

Cup holder by Bookman for coffee-fuelled cycling

Squeezing together the two rings opens the spring so it can be placed over the handlebars, clasping securely into place when the user lets go.

Cup holder by Bookman for coffee-fuelled cycling

“The Cup Holder sits firmly in place never losing grip even during rides over bumps and potholes,” said Bookman.

Cup holder by Bookman for coffee-fuelled cycling

The rings are different sizes so cyclists can flip the cup holder over depending on whether they ordered a small or large drink.

Cup holder by Bookman for coffee-fuelled cycling

The cup holder comes with a little storage cube that fits inside the spring, holding the two rings together to keep it neat and tidy when not in use. It is available in black, white, red and green.

Cup holder by Bookman for coffee-fuelled cycling

Bookman also produced bicycle lights that are attached by simply stretching the elastic cord around the handlebars or seat post. We filmed a short interview with Bookman’s Johan Lidehäll about the lights at the Interiors UK trade show in 2012 – watch it here.

Cup holder by Bookman for coffee-fuelled cycling

More cycling accessories on Dezeen include magnetic lights that turn on when they snap to the frame and an inflatable helmet that folds away into a scarf.

Cup holder by Bookman for coffee-fuelled cycling

The post Cup holder by Bookman
for coffee-fuelled cycling
appeared first on Dezeen.

AOC adds wall-hung bicycles and basket-weave flooring to London townhouse

Architecture studio AOC has renovated a four-storey townhouse in north London, adding wall-hung vintage bicycles and timber mouldings based on the faces of the resident family.

AOC Architecture adds wall-hung bicycles and basket-weave flooring to London townhouse

Named Bonhôte House, the nineteenth-century property was remodelled by London-based AOC to create a contemporary family home for a boutique owner, a film producer and their young children.

AOC Architecture adds wall-hung bicycles and basket-weave flooring to London townhouse

The house now features an open-plan interior designed to meet the family’s need for space, with a two-storey-high gallery added for displaying vintage bicycles and artwork.

AOC Architecture adds wall-hung bicycles and basket-weave flooring to London townhouse

A large portion of the original ground floor was removed, enabling the architects to create the double-height gallery at the front of the house.

The new entrance hall allows natural light to fill the room through an original Victorian window with folding shutters. Two bicycles hang on hooks from an adjacent wall, ensuring that they can be seen from various angles.

AOC Architecture adds wall-hung bicycles and basket-weave flooring to London townhouse

Shelving built into the walls provides a space for displaying the family’s large collection of books and objects.

“The family had a fascinating collection of artefacts they wished to display, from Dan Holdsworth prints to Paris flea market nicknacks,” architect Geoff Shearcroft told Dezeen.

AOC Architecture adds wall-hung bicycles and basket-weave flooring to London townhouse

To add character, the architects used the facial profiles of each family member to produce a series of bespoke timber mouldings, which are dotted throughout the interior.

AOC Architecture adds wall-hung bicycles and basket-weave flooring to London townhouse

These create a ripple effect when joined together and act as a contemporary counterpoint to the original Victorian skirting boards and architraves.

“Much ornament in architecture has the human form as its basis and we continued this tradition with a very literal translation of facial profile into moulding,” said Shearcroft.

AOC Architecture adds wall-hung bicycles and basket-weave flooring to London townhouse
Facial profiles of the family members as timber mouldings

Across the lower ground floor, a tiled floor with a basket-weave pattern connects the living space with the kitchen and provides a hard-wearing surface for the growing family.

“We explored a variety of patterns but the basket weave offered the right combination of rich associations, closed openness and playful variation,” said the architect.

AOC Architecture adds wall-hung bicycles and basket-weave flooring to London townhouse

In the kitchen, mirrored laminate surfaces create an extension of the pattern and reflect light back into the room.

A slumped concrete sofa sits at the foot of a brass decorative staircase, which leads up to bedrooms and bathrooms on the first floor.

AOC Architecture adds wall-hung bicycles and basket-weave flooring to London townhouse

Continuing up through the property, the original floor plan has been altered to connect the master bedroom to an en suite that overlooks the park.

“We re-configured the plan to create a series of different character spaces that were visually and vertically connected,” added Shearcroft.

AOC Architecture adds wall-hung bicycles and basket-weave flooring to London townhouse

The house is located in Stoke Newington, just a stone’s throw away from Dezeen’s offices. AOC Architecture previously remodelled an Edwardian property in Golders Green, north-west London.

Photography is by Tim Soar.

Here’s a description of Bonhôte House from the architects:


Bonhôte House, Stoke Newington, London

The Bonhôte House is a four storey townhouse in Stoke Newington, home to a film producer, a boutique owner and their young children. The couple needed more room for a growing family, and for their contemporary art and vintage bicycle collections, than their previous Shoreditch, East London mews house offered. They asked AOC to design a home that felt big yet intimate, luxurious yet useful, sophisticated yet playful, beautiful yet cosy.

AOC Architecture adds wall-hung bicycles and basket-weave flooring to London townhouse
Lower ground floor plan – click for larger image

The original 19th century property was narrow, dark and unwelcoming, and had been stripped bare by its previous owners. A key architectural move has been to remove a large area of floor, merging basement and ground levels at the front of the house to create a generous double height gallery, into which a new decorative stair descends from the entrance hall. This act of opening-up brings natural light into the basement living space, and creates expansive walls for display of large artworks and objects and for storage of valuable books.

AOC Architecture adds wall-hung bicycles and basket-weave flooring to London townhouse
Upper ground floor plan – click for larger image

On the upper levels, non-structural walls have been relocated to shape a range of spaces appropriate to the family’s lives. Throughout the property, new doors and internal windows connect individual rooms while maintaining distinctions between them, offering glimpses through the house itself, and then out into the city beyond.

AOC Architecture adds wall-hung bicycles and basket-weave flooring to London townhouse
First floor plan – click for larger image

The family wanted a characterful home, contemporary in tone without feeling ‘new’. In response, AOC enriched bare walls with bespoke timber profiles created from the facial profiles of family members – a reinterpretation of traditional mouldings. Used as skirtings, architraves and linings, these ornamental features ensure each room is uniquely tailored to its inhabitants. In the lower, more public, levels, all four mouldings are combined to create a rippling timber lining that softens and connects.

AOC Architecture adds wall-hung bicycles and basket-weave flooring to London townhouse
Second floor plan – click for larger image

A unique domestic character has been created through deploying a range of materials, chosen for their associative qualities, to create diverse surface effects. A slumped concrete sofa, tinted green, anchors the new staircase at the centre of the plan, before evolving into a kitchen work surface. The use of mirrored laminate on storage units helps them dissolve into their surroundings, while providing endless games of reflection for the children. A basket weave floor pattern, used in a variety of scales and materials, reinforces the individual characters of different parts of the house whilst creating a coherent whole.

AOC Architecture adds wall-hung bicycles and basket-weave flooring to London townhouse
Section – click for larger image

The architects worked closely with the family to ensure the house could support the visual choreography of special objects, while still being a practical space, able to manage their storage needs in a discreet, integrated way. The subsequent combination of bespoke panelling with open shelves, interspersed with glazed, mirror and even secret doors, bestows an ‘instant maturity’ upon the home, as though the family have been there for generations.

The post AOC adds wall-hung bicycles and basket-weave
flooring to London townhouse
appeared first on Dezeen.

Rapha SS14 Hooded Wind Jacket: A lightweight, DWR-coated jacket that’s perfect for spring riding

Rapha SS14 Hooded Wind Jacket


Like the groans and gripes that winter will never release its grasp, the temperatures around NYC (and the Northern Hemisphere in general) have finally begun to ease up. While T-shirt weather is still some time away, now is the right time to bring…

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Halfbike by Kolelinia lets riders stand up while pedalling

Transportation start-up Kolelinia has created a vehicle that uses pedal power to transport riders around town while standing up, like a low-tech version of a Segway (+ movie).

Halfbike pedal-powered scooter resembles a low-tech Segway

The Halfbike by Kolelinia features pedals like a bicycle that the user balances on while holding on to a single waist-height handlebar in an upright stance.

The pedals are connected to a large front wheel by a chain that drives the Halfbike forward, while two smaller wheels at the back provide a stable base and a brake on the joystick-like handlebar is used to slow down.

Halfbike pedal-powered scooter resembles a low-tech Segway

The motion of pedalling results in an experience similar to low-impact running, while the upright riding position provides good visibility.

“Its combination of cycling and smooth assisted running provides a remarkably quick and fun way of urban travel,” said the designers. “Its innovative rider position, at the same time both upright and higher, gives you a new perspective on the city.”

Halfbike pedal-powered scooter resembles a low-tech Segway

The user steers the Halfbike by leaning to either side, which shifts the balance between the front wheel and the rear axle.

Kolelinia said the Halfbike was designed for commuting short distances and provides a compact alternative to a bicycle that is easy to carry or store.

Halfbike pedal-powered scooter resembles a low-tech Segway

“It is compact enough for an elevator, light enough to carry on stairs, and fits into spaces too small for a normal bicycle,” the designers explained.

A handlebar made from plywood is fixed to the laser-cut aluminium frame, which is currently white but will eventually be available in six additional colours.

Halfbike pedal-powered scooter resembles a low-tech Segway

“We see the Halfbike as an alternative for people tired of sitting in traffic jams, which at the same time improves their experience of travel,” the designers added.

Prices for the Halfbike start from $799. Kolelinia founders Martin Angelov and Mihail Klenov have launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the first batch of production.

The post Halfbike by Kolelinia lets riders
stand up while pedalling
appeared first on Dezeen.

Bicycle Lights of the Near Future

The Arc taillight makes ordinary strobing LEDs seem not only outdated but almost unsafe! This revolutionary design finally addresses the issues left/right signaling and even braking for added security on the road. For brake signaling, the system tracks wheel speed to alert other vehicles when slowing. As for turning, wireless activated handlebar signals indicate the intended direction with riders hands firmly in place. A must-have for day and nighttime riders alike!

Designer: Revolights


Yanko Design
Timeless Designs – Explore wonderful concepts from around the world!
Shop CKIE – We are more than just concepts. See what’s hot at the CKIE store by Yanko Design!
(Bicycle Lights of the Near Future was originally posted on Yanko Design)

Related posts:

  1. When Riding A Bicycle Just Isn’t Green Enough
  2. Bicycle Built For The Dutchess
  3. The Smartphone Bicycle


    



Be a Supahero… Safely

“Sporty Supaheroe” is a stylish cycling jacket for the urban warrior! This new kind of digital apparel proves that safety gear doesn’t have to look lame. Using stretchable circuit board technology, it offers improved visibility and security in the dark with bright LEDs.

The circuit board is made out of thermoplastic polyurethane, onto which meander-shaped copper conductors are applied. Therefore, the circuit board can easily be integrated into textiles by lamination.

Designer: Utope


Yanko Design
Timeless Designs – Explore wonderful concepts from around the world!
Shop CKIE – We are more than just concepts. See what’s hot at the CKIE store by Yanko Design!
(Be a Supahero… Safely was originally posted on Yanko Design)

Related posts:

  1. Boarding Safely at Night
  2. When Time is Safely Encapsulated


    



Nanamica Cycling Pack: A sleek black bag that’s as stylish as it is functional

Nanamica Cycling Pack


When it comes to backpacks, often basic is best. And, in the case of the Nanamica Cycling Pack, neither bells nor whistles were needed to enhance the bag’s intelligently refined…

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