Radical electric bike design

[dingoEsride]

Just was wondering if anyone has seen this design bike, looks like you're riding an envelope but would work great in high numbers and folds flat for parking heaps of room for accessories


http://www.gizmag.com/electric-bike-concept-space-saver/14732/picture/113115/

 

[michaelplogue]

Just hope there's no cross-wind......

 

[dogman dan]

Anybody else see the other obvouis design flaw that makes it unrideable? Well anyway, unridable unless the seat could be raised. Either your feet won't reach the ground or the seat will be so low you can't pedal effectively. Assuming you pedal any that is. Needs a dip between the seat and the handlebars for when you come to a stop sign. Otherwise you'd have to either pedal stand it or completeley dismount on stops.

 

[dingoEsride]

the cross wind factor would definately be a minus and seat height, or maybe have different sizes, but I like the fact that it folds flat for parking or storage getting those poky bits out the way

 

[michaelplogue]

You'll find that with the majority of these sorts of 'concepts,' little regard is put into practicality (for manufacturing) and actual ergonomics. This is another example of - in my mind - a borderline stupid idea with no actual thought towards the engineering aspects. OK, I can dig a flat, smooth surfaced body with folding pedals and handlebars so there's nothing to get snagged on when storing it. But the square shape -absolutely ridiculous that serves no practical purpose but to add extra weight - and as dogman pointed out - makes it impossible to ride.

This is just another prime example of a "designer" - and I use that term very loosely - focusing solely on the "cool factor" and completely ignoring everything else. To be brutally honest - I really hate this kind of crap. The artistic side of me says 'it's ok,' but the engineering side of me (I'm not one by the way) is screaming out that these guys should be flung from a catapult into a brick wall - just so they can truly understand physics and practical mechanics first-hand.

 

[GrayKard]

That has to be the ugliest concept bike I've ever seen.

 

[REdiculous]

Yuji Fujimura has taken the bicycle design manual and thrown it to the wind with his concept Electric Bike Version 2. Ditching the popular and familiar diamond frame design, Fujimura [...]

...has put no thought into practicality, wind, ergonomics and marketing, among other things...

There's a reason bikes are the way they are. It's what people like and expect...you can't change things too much or nobody will buy into it. My folding bike stores flat enough that I can slide it under my bed or in a car trunk anyway so more flatness doesn't really matter imo...and it actually looks like a bike.

Those hand-length handlebars wouldn't work for me, for instance. It makes it flatter, I guess, but not any flatter than my bike. My handlebars have a quick release so they probably fold flatter than the ones in that concept...I can pull mine completely out too, so...yeah, what you guys said and then some.

I like the catapult idea..heh...later.

 

[drewdiller]

It's a lot easier to make a 3D model and render it nicely than it is to make a functional machine.

I don't want to bag on people's creativity too much, but there are some use cases that just _have_ to be obeyed.

These bike concepts usually have no regard for standover height, among other things. Before you start riding the bike, you have to be able to stand on the ground while straddling it, maybe even with both feet planted.

Personally I like how Katz Bikes took a concept and executed it. Fully enclosed drivetrain, awesome.

 

[dogman dan]

I always love it when some "designer", improves a beloved hand tool. Usually ends up totally wrecking it with an ergonomic handle that actually makes it more tiring to use. Chances are the designer never worked a blue collar day in his life.

On the other hand, take the california framer hammer. The design was completely driven by input from guys who swat a few thousand 16 penny nails a day. A very sweet tool with a handle that doesn't lead to the hammer flying across the job accidentally all day, and reliably hits the nail instead of the hand. The difference is very very subtle, but when you swing a hammer that sucks, it's not so subtle, as you pound you left hand to dogmeat by noon. The pros are usually setting a nail at least an inch into the wood, so it can get very bloody. Even a guy like me that used a hammer daily for 30 years will bash fingers all day with a crappy hammer. But to look at the two hammers, you can't tell one works and the other doesn't.

 

[REdiculous]

The Katz bike is cool but I doubt it's worth it. I've ridden on rusty old chains before no problem and chains are cheap and easy to work..imo, all they did was add a way to waste my power w/ idlers...

It looks like a natural progression to me..almost obvious. I guess that's the beauty of a good idea like that..it'll sell and everyone will think to themselves, at least a little, "why didn't I think of that?"...gold.

yaknow, I would be interested in seeing a hydraulic system. I know CVT is possible w/ hydraulics..it's possible to add regen too. So where are the hydraulic concept bikes? I've only seen a couple renderings I think..nothing real. later

 

[gtadmin]

Parker Hydraulics sponsor (or perhaps used to?) a competition for hydraulic bicycles somewhere in the states. Unfortunately, I can't remember the web site.
But ... hydraulics are heavy, and of course adding regen just makes it that much heavier.

Cheers,
GT

 

[REdiculous]

I think hydraulics could be made lite enough considering human input can't come close to stressing current hydraulic equipment....it seems to me that smaller and lighter designs could be made. But that requires new motors and pumps that would only really work in a bike (maybe lawn mowers..), so there's no real incentive to pursue smaller..the volume isn't there I guess. later

 

[spinningmagnets]

Clever that it folds really flat (handlebars and pedals fold in), but horrible ergonomics for the rider. I think there's room for injection-molded plastic frames to be designed (made from renewable corn-oil/soybean-oil?), and that could make production and shipping fairly cheap for some very complex designs. Plastics are light and don't rust, and even some very hard plastics (Delrin?) are easily machinable with CNC. The size of a bike frame can be done in a garage-scale CNC (especially if the frame is made in two pieces (front-rear)

No need to stock frames, only blanks. Want more triangle space for battery pack? longer rear suspension arms to mount an RC-drive? More head-tube rake than standard? want a 52-tooth chainring, but it hits your current chainstays? Perhaps you've drawn a frame shape on a scrap of paper and nobody makes a frame that shape?...

Fire up the computer, load a blank in the Garage CNC, cut the blank, and FedEx the frame...3-4 days from customer E-mail to delivery. Customer buys bicycle "X" locally to get the wheels, forks/handlebars, BB, seat+post, etc...

Forget hydraulics, I was a hydraulic tech for 20 years, trust me.

 

[wheelbender6]

Shipping on one of those bikes should be cheap. Just affix a stamp and mail it.

 

[amberwolf]

Wow. That's terrible. I've seen better product design from Apple and much more practical mechanical design from anime mecha. :lol: I mean, interesting concept but I would never be able to ride that design. Perhaps something based on it, but not that.

No cargo provisions at all, either, and no way to use any existing solutions. You'd have to drill bolt holes all the way thru it and mount rails across it's length horizontally to give enough cantilever strength for a good rack or to hold panniers.

They can't even spell "Station" right in their fancy diagram, either.


http://thenewcaferacersociety.blogspot.com/2008/12/anime-rideback.html
Haven't been able to find out who did the mechanical design on those.

On the same site, another design by the same Yuji Fujimura:
http://thenewcaferacersociety.blogspot.com/2010/01/high-concept-yuji-fujimuras-wheel-rider.html
At least it is "interesting".

 

[dingoEsride]

not without it's flaws in design, one would be lack of individuality ie. how would you know which bike was yours?, but I like the fold in pedals and bars, can't count the times pedals get caught on doorframes bringing it inside etc.

 

[dogman dan]

You'd know yours by the ES stickers on it, or the stamp from when it was mailed.

The folds flat thing is not a bad idea at all, and many of us build bikes where the center triangle is filled catching the wind. Some even put batterys on top of the frame creating the same ergonomic situation. Nothing wrong with incorporating some of the ideas into a more traditional diamond frame shape, perhaps with a s curve along the bottom to increase the space. Production designs could incorporate a folding pannier basket.

 

[dingoEsride]

Production designs could incorporate a folding pannier basket.

I can see production of this or similar type going into production in the future for big busy cities where parking is a issue with accessories such as clip-on panniers like BMW's, after all a rectangle is or more two triangles

 

[USAEBIKECO]

I agree with most of you. The bikes are attractive looking, but I dont think we will see them. The design is odd, and they will probably charge over $1k for a bike. Its just not practical. I can see the bike being ruined by just one Chicago pot hole.