Online voting ends August 2 for The Bike Design Project, a national competition intended to develop the “next-wave urban bike.” One of the five finalist teams includes University of Oregon graduates whose “key influencers” include A&AA alumnus Tinker Hatfield of Nike, Inc.
Their bicycle prototype, called SOLID, is “the first connected, 3D-printed titanium, lifestyle bike,” says UO alumnae Natasha Michalowsky, Trend and CMF Specialist at INDUSTRY, a Portland-based design consultancy. “SOLID brings together old and new manufacturing methods and focuses on the urban Portland lifestyle,” says Michalowsky, who graduated in 2013 with a BFA in product design. Kaitlin Paul, who earned a multimedia design certificate and a journalism bachelor’s degree in 2005 from UO, cofounded INDUSTRY in 2011.
Above: SOLID is “the first connected, 3D-printed titanium, lifestyle bike,” according to the bike’s designer, INDUSTRY.
Online voting began July 28 and concludes August 2, with the public determining which team wins. Follow the hashtag #SOLIDPDX on Twitter and Instagram to monitor the bike design/build journey. Vote at the Bike Design Project website.
The Bike Design Project pairs five design firms with five bike builders from five cities. For this effort, INDUSTRY joined forces with Ti Cycles in Portland, which has twenty-five years experience building titanium bikes by hand. Ti Cycles also built the UO’s winning bike in the 2011 Oregon Manifest competition.
Calling SOLID “the ultimate urban utility bike,” the design team says their bike “is a one-of-a-kind bicycle and digital experience designed to inspire everyday cycling.” It features a mobile app, “Discover My City”, which highlights “a curated set of city experiences and destinations from five key Portland influencers. It inspires people to explore the city with a seamless, distraction free, responsive riding experience.”
Explains Oved Valadez, cofounder of INDUSTRY and creative director of SOLID, “We want people to look up, and immerse themselves in the lifestyle of riding. We crafted a bike that guides you without needing to look at your phone. We aim to inspire everyday cycling and we see an opportunity to redefine the category of urban biking.”
Michalowsky’s role included helping define the bike’s color, material, and finish (CMF): raw titanium with matte and gloss finishes. She also created the design intent for the “Discover My City” app, now available in the Apple app store.
“This collaboration is defining what’s next in modern cycling,” Michalowsky says.
Above: SOLID comes with an app that highlights “a curated set of city experiences and destinations from five key Portland influencers,” including A&AA alumnus Tinker Hatfield.