John Hobson submitted an entry to the commuter bike competition late last year. Since that time, he has completed a prototype of his laminated wood bike design a part of one of his design courses. Attached are a couple of pictures of his prototype…his description of the design follows:
“The frame is designed for a commuter who wants to cycle to work to be more eco-friendly than taking a car, train or bus. The bike is both eye catching and practical, drawing attention for its unusual curvature as well as its wooden construction. This makes it an ideal showcase for environmentally friendly transportation.
The frame is made from laminated strips of beach ply running from the headtube to the dropouts in one smooth curve. The curves are around 40mm in thickness to provide enough strength to cope with the forces involved in cycling and to stop it flexing. The mid tube is also curved to provide additional aesthetic appeal as well as strength; the tube is a shaped piece of wood holding both curves in position whilst providing areas for the seat-post and bottom bracket to be attached.”
Based on John’s description, I am assuming that the 2×4 seat beam shape is not finalized. I think a little shaping in that area would help to unify the design quite a bit.
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