Hasta La Ideas

This conceptual see-through bike by German studio Designaffairs would be made from the same strong and lightweight plastic used in fighter jet canopies.

The frame of the Clarity Bike would be made from a polymer called Trivex, according to Designaffairs. First developed for helicopter windscreens and fighter jet canopies, Trivex is extremely lightweight but can also withstand high impacts.

The polymer is resistant to very hot and cold temperatures and can also be injection moulded, which would enable mass production at an affordable price and in a variety of shapes and colours.

Trivex is one of more than 2000 material samples collected by Designaffairs to provide a resource for manufacturers, designers and engineers. “What sets our library apart from the other material libraries is the fact that all materials and technologies presented are tailored to meet production-processes’ needs,” explained Designaffairs’ Stefan Ulrich.

Lots of bicycles have been published on Dezeen, most recently a bike with a cardboard frame and wheels and a bike that carries heavy loads front and back.

We’ve also featured a couple of other projects by Designaffairs – a conceptual hearing aid that forms a flesh tunnel through the wearer’s earlobe and an inhaler designed for a future scenario where oxygen is scarce.

The images are visualisations by Designaffairs.

Here’s some more information from the designers:

No, this bike is not made out of glass. The Clarity Bike is the next project within the material focus of designaffairs studio projects which focus on using amazing materials of our library in new contexts. We believe that the Clarity Bike could be a giant leap forward in bicycle frame engineering and production. The design takes advantage of an advanced polymer which combines high impact resistance, lightweight properties and a gentle flexibility that usually would only be expected on an old Italian steel frame.

The polymer is injection moulded, which allows affordable and precise mass production while enabling unique form factors and a multitude of possible colour combinations. Initially the polymer was used in military applications. Even though the compound has a lower density than polycarbonate & acrylic its advanced performance includes exceptional impact resistance and ultra-lightweight performance. It also offers outstanding chemical resistance and thermal stability as it is virtually unaffected by most organic and inorganic chemicals and withstands very hot and cold temperatures.

In our understanding the perfect material match for creating a low cost bicycle characterised by convenience and an unmatched unique style.

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by Designaffairs appeared first on Dezeen.

This mobile home by Chinese studio dot Architects consists of a quilted cube attached to the back of a tricycle.

At first glance the facade could be mistaken for padded fabric, but the two-metre-wide structure is actually made from spray polyurethane foam (SPF), which dot Architects injected into a timber and fabric mould held together with pins and string.

“SPF is normally concealed behind the finishing surface and functions only as supplementary material,” explains principal designer Ning Duo. “Bao House tries to explore this common material and reinterpret it in a new fabrication system.”

The foam expanded as it set, so that when the moulds were removed they revealed a bulbous lightweight structure that is both water-resistant and thermally insulated.

“Bao House gets its name from this bubble-like surface, since ‘bao’ in Chinese means bulge,” says Duo.

The architects created the structure for Get It Louder 2012, an exhibition of visual art and design at the Sanlitun Village shopping centre in Beijing, after being asked to design a mobile living space that is human-powered.

A roof of transparent polycarbonate lets light inside the shelter, where a mattress covers the floor to allow enough sleeping space for up to three people.

There’s no door, but one of the walls slides open to let residents climb in.

We’ve featured a few mobile homes on Dezeen, including a refuge in the Alps and a tiny floating house.

See more mobile architecture, including a masterplan of buildings on railway tracks and a hotel room you can have delivered.

Photography is by Yuming Baia and Vanessa Chen.

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dot Architects appeared first on Dezeen.

London cyclists can hang their bicycles on the walls while they grab a coffee or browse at this Soho store for cyclewear brand Rapha by design studio Brinkworth (+ slideshow).

The Rapha Social Club is conceived as a social meeting place for road cyclists, where memorabilia is exhibited alongside the brand’s latest products and live racing is aired on screens surrounding a cafe area.

Like the company’s other spaces in San Francisco and Osaka, the London club has a Citroen H Van parked up inside it and uses a colour palette of black, white and pink that matches the aesthetic of the Rapha logo and products.

Metal-framed cabinets and tables can be wheeled around the concrete floor to provide flexible display stands.

“With Rapha Cycle Clubs, there is finally a permanent home for cycle fans to totally surround themselves in all the best aspects of road cycling in a great café atmosphere,” said Brinkworth Director David Hurren.

More clubs are due to open in Melbourne, New York and Tokyo and will have similar designs to the London branch.

Other cycling shops we’ve featured on Dezeen include one with chunky chipboard walls and artificial turf floors.

See all our stories about cycling »

Here’s a project description from Brinkworth:

Brinkworth design London Rapha Cycle Club.

Luxury cycling apparel brand Rapha appoint design consultancy Brinkworth to create their unique retail concept – Rapha Cycle Club.

Brinkworth were commissioned to develop the Rapha Cycle Club concept into an environment that would reflect the core cultural values of Rapha’s heritage, the glory and suffering of world road cycling. The first permanent UK Cycle Club now open in London’s Soho, builds on Rapha’s vision to provide a meeting place for the cycling community to eat, drink, watch racing and shop from the full Rapha product range, totally immersing themselves in a space dedicated to the pursuit of road cycling.

The Cycle Club aesthetic exemplifies the Rapha approach of premium design and materials while referencing workshop functionality. A flexible retail system has been developed to display not only apparel but unique products and Rapha’s collection of cycling memorabilia. A double height rear feature wall creates a backdrop to the iconic Rapha ‘H’ Van, a constant element of the brand, evoking a strong image of 60s racing.

Brinkworth have taken an intentionally unconventional approach to the layout, designing a space that places equal importance on the social and retail aspects, to deliver a truly blended experience. Bespoke cycle storage for visitors’ bikes and tools for basic bike servicing and maintenance are available, ensuring that the club is a key destination for both city cyclists and racers alike.

Integrated within the space is a custom-designed bar area with zinc-topped counter, reminiscent of timeless European café culture, underpinned by the Rapha branded cups and espresso machines. Visitors sit at laser-etched tabletops that feature famous alpine climbs, while watching racing on large screens positioned within the space. Solid concrete flooring combined with the unmistakable grey, white and pink Rapha colour scheme brands the overall space.

The post Rapha Cycle Club
by Brinkworth appeared first on Dezeen.

Illustrations celebrate cycling in an East London cafe

Teaming up with Hackney GT, architect-turned-illustrator Eliza Southwood has outfitted Wilton Way Café with a host of bicycle-inspired drawings, prints and ephemera for a new exhibition celebrating cycle culture and sport. The London-based artist’s vibrant retro aesthetic sets the tone for a quick look at the history of cycling, which includes old-school posters and an original “Opperman” BSA racing fixie suspended from the ceiling, a model used during the pivotal 1931 race from John O’Groats to Land’s End.

Fascinated with Major Taylor, an early pioneer of American cycling, Southwood recently created a series depicting the Civil War-era champion in various racing moments, including a notorious one-mile championship in 1899 where he competed against rival Tom Butler.

Southwood’s cheerful color palette smartly balances such historically intense moments in cycling, but her trained eye for technical drawing keeps each portrait from feeling inappropriately animated.

Home to London Fields Radio and the maker of one of Hackney’s meanest coffees around (with beans from local roasters like Climpson & Sons), Wilton Way Cafe is an ideal spot take in Southwood’s cycle-inspired illustrations, which will be on view throughout August 2012.

Images by Karen Day and Andrea DiCenzo

These magnetic bicycle lights by Copenhagen Parts turn on as soon as they come into contact with the steel frame.

The magnets mean it’s easier to take the lights with you when leaving the bike chained up and also enable them to be positioned anywhere on the frame.

They contain battery-powered LEDs and come in machined aluminium or coloured silicone finishes.

You might also like the Bookman LED bicycle lights that attach with elastic bands, especially if your bike’s made from anything other than steel.

See all our stories about cycling here and all our stories about bicycles here.

Here’s some more information from Copenhagen Parts:

Steel is real – magnetic bike lights

Scandinavian Winters are dark, cold and long so we get the importance of good bike lights. The trouble is that there are hardly any good looking bike lights. We wanted something that looked good, worked well and, most importantly, could be fitted and removed instantly. The answer was obvious – magnets.

‘We had the idea some time ago and have spent the last 18 months getting them right. We now have them perfected and will soon be ready to launch this patented innovation’ says Copenhagen Parts co-founder, Lars Thomsen.

Mads Kjøller Damkjær, co-founder in the company, adds ‘magnets and steel tubes are an obvious match but we’ve spent a lot of time working on selecting the right components and perfecting the details so that they will fit to different tube diameters and stay there’. And the cleverness doesn’t end there. The lights turn on when placed on the bike and automatically switch off when removed.

‘We have been riding with the prototypes for 6 months. They are so easy to fit anywhere on the frame and they stay put – regardless of the road surface. And they just pull off to keep them out of the grasp of thieves’ says Anthony Forsyth, bike-geek and one of the designers for Copenhagen Parts.

Ok. They only work with steel frames but with the vast majority of people still riding steel-framed bikes there’s an ample market. For steel frames, they work outstandingly. For other materials, you’ll have to look elsewhere. Sorry, but that’s physics for you.

We are launching two versions – Randonneur and Lode. Randonneur has a body of machined aluminium and is polished to give a very classic finish. Lode has a silicone rubber outer, available in a range of striking colours.

‘Both versions come in a small and cool package, made from recycled materials, that can be used to store the lights and to display them in-store’ says dis- tributor and production partner from Cph Odd, Jacob Guldager.

Both are extremely compact and use battery-driven LED light sources. The lens is designed to illuminate from the sides as well as straight-on to increase visibility. The fact that they can be placed anywhere on the frame without fittings also makes it possible to use multiple sets to further aid visibility to other road users.