International Bicycle Design Competition

[Matt[_5_]]

Apologies if already posted but I hadn't seen it.

Link to a web site showing entrants and winners of a 2008 International
Bicycle Design competition.

http://tps.tbnet.org.tw/mipis/design/tbbuy10.asp?menu=1411&page=1

Lots of "eh?" and "why?" from me but interesting all the same (maybe others
see more potentional in some of it). I'm no mechanical engineer but some of
the designs seem highly optimistic in terms of ability to work and / or
manufacture.

Still it's good to see so much thought going into cycle innovation -
regardless of how bonkers some of the proposals!

I was actually following a link from this

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/04/21/sunny-day-solar-bike-folds-down-catches-rays/

but couldn't then find it on the site but then the web site is very clunky -
I guess they spend more time on bicycle rather than web design.

Matt

[Rob Morley]

In article >, Matt
says...
> Apologies if already posted but I hadn't seen it.
>
> Link to a web site showing entrants and winners of a 2008 International
> Bicycle Design competition.
>
> http://tps.tbnet.org.tw/mipis/design/tbbuy10.asp?menu=1411&page=1
>
> Lots of "eh?" and "why?" from me but interesting all the same (maybe others
> see more potentional in some of it). I'm no mechanical engineer but some of
> the designs seem highly optimistic in terms of ability to work and / or
> manufacture.
>
> Still it's good to see so much thought going into cycle innovation -
> regardless of how bonkers some of the proposals!
>

Judging by the previous award-winners that I skimmed through (slow site
and I lost patience) the competition seems to concentrate on original
ideas rather than practicality. In a way that's understandable because
most of the more workable entries are rehashes of Edwardian designs,
chunky plastic bikes, flimsy folders or exercises in graphic design that
add superfluous bits which don't enhance functionality. There are a few
nice ideas for toys mixed in with the dross, but most of the stuff is
definitely below the standard of that sideways-bike thing that Michael
Killian has been trying to promote for years.

[Doki]

"Matt" > wrote in message
...
> Apologies if already posted but I hadn't seen it.
>
> Link to a web site showing entrants and winners of a 2008 International
> Bicycle Design competition.
>
> http://tps.tbnet.org.tw/mipis/design/tbbuy10.asp?menu=1411&page=1
>
> Lots of "eh?" and "why?" from me but interesting all the same (maybe
> others see more potentional in some of it). I'm no mechanical engineer
> but some of the designs seem highly optimistic in terms of ability to work
> and / or manufacture.

There have been quite a few ideas which have won awards etc. despite being
impossible to produce without rewriting the laws of physics ridiculed on the
Dans Data blog lately. I think most design competitions revolve around what
looks nice as opposed to what might actually work well...