Comments on: Mark Sanders’ 1985 Strida thesis project

By: Colin

Colin — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 10:11:24 +0000

> and even pre-Mountain bikes

Not quite. I had a Muddy Fox Seeker in the early 1980′s, and though in early wasn’t the first to have one by any means. Happy days

By: Human_Amplifier

Human_Amplifier — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 17:37:43 +0000

The business plan was done in the (then) state-of-the-art Tasword, word processor (tape loading) on a Sinclair ZX spectrum – this was pre-CAD, and even pre-Mountain bikes

By: Iñaki

Iñaki — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 06:39:38 +0000

I agree with Eric, Mr Sanders’ thesis work is really inspiring in many ways. Beyond the innovation involved in his design one can see how much effort he’s put in pushing his idea through. Everything from his conceptual design renders and early prototypes to the immaculate typewritten document has been made to the smallest detail (loved those pen frames around the photos… if only you could do that with a computer). Now seriously, really good work and a good example for design students.

By: Ivan

Ivan — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 19:28:34 +0000

Here in the Netherlands I can see the Strida bikes all the time in train stations. It’s by far the coolest design in Foldable bikes and certainly a top 10 in all bikes ever.
When you see someone pushing it folded… man it looks so cool!

By: Eric

Eric — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 05:10:24 +0000

I just read the whole thing cover-to-cover.

It’s amazing the level of dedication, commitment, time and effort that went into developing this bike, from conceptualization and market research to engineering analysis, prototype development and business planning. As a Strida owner myself, I have a new appreciation for what it takes to achieve that kind of innovation and bring it successfully to market. Invention really is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration!

There are so many aspiring designers out there producing amazing sketches and computer-generated renderings of bikes, myself included. So many design schools are pushing visual communication skills and flashy presentation techniques over true concepts and ideas. In automotive design we’re taught to quickly hash out ideas to throw “over the wall” to the engineering types and bean counters, without really thinking abotu what it is we’re designing. There’s not enough emphasis on marketing, ergonomics, engineering, and all the other things that are just as much a part of the process of putting something truly new into production. We could all learn a thing or two by reading Mark’s thesis work. It’s not flashy, but this is REAL design!