The Sandwich Bike - Two for One
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 04.13.06
We’ve had a plethora of stunning bicycles grace the pixels here, but the Sandwich Bike might just be the most beautiful so far. If only for it’s intentions. Though its visage is none too shabby either. Designers Basten Leijh, Imre Verhoeven and Pieter Janssen wanted to do good, by designing creatively. As we understand it (and feel free to correct us, if we got confused), their idea is to craft a bike twice as cheap as standard models. This will allow the purchaser to basically buy two for the price of one. He/She keeps one, while another can be shipped to developing countries to provide much needed transport, such as enabling rural kids to cover long distances to school. Their vision being that a donation of mobility, unlike money, will not be subject to corruption. Like, no despot would want to steal bikes from an aid program, now would they? Well, maybe they got that reasoning wrong! For, according to 'Core 77', some evil-doer just stole the prototype from a recent trade show. And when you think about the out-of-the-box design that went into this bike, you do begin to appreciate that unscrupulous fiend’s envy.
Inspired by IKEA, the Sandwich Bike comes flat packed in a cardboard box. Two wooden plate sides are secured through four identical ‘smart cylinders’, which house the cranks and such forth. The weld-less frame and components all assemble with a single tool. This is designed to reduce transport and construction costs, with the intention of more bikes for more people. Simply gorgeous. (Investors are sought to give the project legs, er, wheels.) ::Sandwich Bike via Core 77 and Bleijh Design. With much thanks to Lloyd for the tip.
As a designer of flat-pack products, I like the cleverness in the design, but I don't see any benefit arising from making it out of cheap furniture materials.
Tubular steel frames are lighter, tougher and probably more permanently repairable than this will be. Bikes are already shipped in flat boxes, and can be assembled fairly quickly. Plus, many basic bike parts are interchangeable across brands, and aftermarket parts will often fit any conventional bike.
I forsee this bike being very heavy, which only makes shipping worse. I also see those screws in the MDF constantly needing tighened until they just pull through or snap.
If they want to make cheaper bikes for 'poor' nations, then design a simplified steel bike that requires a minimum of machinery and energy to manufacture, and let them make it locally, where the labor will most likely be cheaper. Most of the cost in a product is labor and overhead. Using cheaper materials will be less effective at reducing the cost.
Yet another cool, great looking product that fits well into an upscale, urban, chic, bike shop or gallery. The previous caller is right though.
It's an Industrial Designer's thesis project and it belongs in a museum not in the real world.
OOPS - did I say that out loud?
I quite agree with Josh's comment. All well and good for a design show but pretty much ungrounded in reality.
It also looks as if you wouldn't be able to turn the front wheel very tightly, not more than 90 degrees. Someone probably won't need to turn so sharply when they are riding the bike, but maybe when trying to get it out of a tight space.
Thanks for the comments re: functionality. As we noted, the real beauty of this bike is the intent. It is an idea given form. Whether this particular form ultimately becomes a real world product is largely less important than the thinking behind it. The concept alone may stimulate other designers to create different products altogether (not even a bicycle) that realise the grand goals these guys have. That is: leveraging the 'wants' of upscale urbanites, to provide for the 'needs' of the less well off. Great design doesn't usually happen in quantum leaps, more often in small increments. Rarely does the first step look like it will be succeed (it took Edison about thousand tries to get his light bulb to work, the original iPod was poo-pooed as 'too this', 'too that'), but without that step, others do not follow. One idea sparks another.
Bikes Not Bombs is probably the more practical way to go.
Even if the thesis project takes off like a rocket, the human infrastructure organizations like Bikes Not Bombs are building will be indispensable.
This looks like a rendering, not an actual object. Lots of amateurs have built bikes (I built 5 to date) that not having actually constructed one is not promising.
While there have been some wooden bikes built, that one looks like it would have real problems with frame stiffness.
Random/Jeff?
I watched the show with you guys, you were the best!
These sandwich-bike guys should have hired you to design their prototype, and it might have ended up practical!
Random, as we noted, the prototype was stolen from a trade show. Assume the report wasn't meaning that someone snatched a Photoshop print-out.
Michael Downes, I know you, please email me. GeoKrpan@hotmail
I think, with more refinement it could be made workable. However, bamboo is beautiful and a lot lighter. Metal is cold and ugly by comparison but it makes good bicycles. Two pound aluminum frames are not uncommon.
hey joe, have a look
You have a long way to go, but not on that i am afraid. wanto see some hardcore bikes - go to xylonbikes - look cool and they work!
Hello Dear,
Do you know where can I buy the bugabike ?
Thank You
Have a nice days.
Angel Cross