SHAFAQNA

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – Remember the Thonet bicycle concept, and how we weren't sure if the seat-tube-less design would be possible to execute in steambent wood? Seeing as there's still no word on whether it will become a reality, Japanese design student Yojiro Oshima has done them one better with a prototype of his unconventional bicycle concept. For his degree project at Musahino Art University's Craft & Industrial Design Department, he has designed and built a Y-Foil/Softride-style frame by hand (it wasn't based on a chair per se, but I'm seeing a little Wegner myself).

The designer recently sent the project to James Thomas of BicycleDesign.net, where Oshima notes: "This proposal is about the shape of the frame and the handle mainly which doesn't concern what material it's made out of. The maximum comfort can be put into practice by wood." Thus, the frame concept also echoes that of the previously-seen (steel) Van Hulsteijn, which is currently in production.

Regarding the construction and other carpentry/bike nerd concerns, Oshima adds,

It is all hand made. The down tube and seat tube are hollowed with plenty of thickness left not to disturb the surface when planed too much. As a result, it weights about 14kg in total. The thickness is uncertain though, I guess it's about 6-12mm. It is bonded the half and half into one.

I was also curious to learn that the trispoke-style wheels were originally known as "baton" wheels—the renderings of the Thonet concept has a set of HED's top-of-the-line carbon fiber version—and that the clover-like construction is intended to "soften the ride." Similarly, the cantilevered saddle intended for comfort, while the short stays speak to performance by "assuring the stiffness."-www.shafaqna.com/English

Source: Core77

SHAFAQNA (Shia News Association)— Bicycle locks are pretty standard accessories to have if you own a bicycle, and in terms of design – they haven’t really changed over the years. Well, some folks have come up with an interesting concept lock that they think can work better than what we already have. Called the Pedal Lock, it is basically what its name implies: a bicycle lock that doubles up as pedals for your mode of transportation.

The concept is simple – once you park your bike, you just disassemble the pedals and use them to lock your bicycle wheel. So while regular forms of security can be circumvented by destroying the lock, any attempts to break the Pedal Lock will ensure that the thief will not have any pedals to cycle with. Unless of course they brought some spare pedals along.

However, the idea of having to touch those pedals (that you’ve had your dirty shoes on all day long) every time you need to lock the bike isn’t very appealing. Plus it doesn’t stop thieves from just taking your whole bicycle with them and then disassembling the lock at their own leisure. It’s still an interesting concept that could be an additional form of security to your standard lock. Read up more here.—www.shafaqna.com/english