Tuesday, December 30, 2008

SF MoMA - Biomega bike

I took a little trip to the San Francisco Museum Of Modern Art recently. I was surprised that I didn't see more industrial design. There was some graphic art and ID in one small exhibit, and one of the things on display was this Biomega bike from Denmark:


As I looked it over, it appeared to be a folding bike with a laid back riding position, some serious hydraulic disk brakes and some sort of integrated cable lock. I checked it out on the web and they call this model the "Boston" and claim that the cable is a structural component of the frame, and that if cut, the bike is "unrideable…but repairable". The cable didn't look like it was under any tension to me, so I'm assuming that the frame either flexes enough once you get on it to put it in tension or that claim is not entirely true. If it were in tension (a la the cable on a Slingshot frame) while no one was on the bike, I don't know how you'd get it unlocked. Also, notice no valve stems on the tires. I'm assuming that to avoid that wilted-tire look after a few months on display, they either filled the casings with something that doesn't leak out or put some sort of alternate tube (like Tire Balls) in.

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