In a past post, I mentioned that I like the idea of a commuter bike designed to fit into the owner’s interior environment. Young, style conscious urban dwellers are typically short on space, so bicycles end up becoming prominent elements in their apartments. I think that companies like Biomega and Alta do a good job of designing bikes for that market, but there is plenty of room for new companies to reach out to some of those consumers. Not everyone is interested in the racing bike look, so it just makes sense to look at trends in interior decorating when designing bikes for that target market. After all, most bikes spend more time sitting in a room than being ridden.

I saw a post about Xylon bikes not long ago on Treehugger. At the time, I didn’t pay much attention to the individual bikes that they make. When someone left a comment about Xylon in response to my sandwich bike post, I checked out the company’s website. All of the bikes feature wooden frames, which makes sense when you hear that xylon is the Greek word for wood. Of the company’s four bike models, the Cell (pictured here) is the one that stood out to me. The website explains that the frame was inspired by the “the microscopic structure of wood, which is presented in the form of cells (more or less organized) which give resistance and lightness to the material.” I think the circle pattern looks cool and it is certainly on trend with some of what is happening in home decor. The accessories shown below, for instance, would look good in room with this bike. Take a look at a catalog like West Elm and you will surely spot a few environments that this bike could fit nicely into.

I would not expect a bike like this to appeal to everyone, but I bet that the design evokes strong feelings for most people either way. Some may love it, some may hate it, but I doubt that many people will just feel luke warm about this design. I’d like to see more bikes on the market that elicit an emotional response like that.