MiniMum is the latest bike idea from designer Omer Sagiv, whose previous concept bikes I featured in a 2010 post. The MiniMum was designed as a simplified city bike; as Omer says, “using the minimum production effort, and on the other hand getting maximum user experience.” The frame is made from aluminum tubes and a steel cable and features monoblades front and rear. He explains that the wire cable “supports the seatpost by maintaining a flexible tension towards the front of the bike, in a very elegant and light way- giving it also its uniqueness.” See further descriptions of Omer’s concept on the presentation boards you see here.
Interesting concept, but the first issue that I jumped out at me when I viewed the renderings was the height of the cable that serves as the effective top tube. In relationship to seat/stem height, it looks like it would require a very high step over which is not desirable if you are riding in street clothes (not to mention that fact that a high steel cable can be a bit intimidating to straddle). Short of a quick ride on a Slingshot frame many years ago though, I have no experience with tensioned cable frame designs, so I would love to hear feedback from those of you with firsthand experience. I am sure that Omer would appreciate any constructive comments on the design as well.
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