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The "ultimate urban bike"

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The "ultimate urban bike"

Old 07-28-14, 04:57 AM
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The "ultimate urban bike"

This looks cool, I wonder how it rides...
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Old 07-28-14, 05:45 AM
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My ultimate commuter bike has a rack, gears for hills, fenders and disc brakes, and will fit wide tires. Open ended tubes will allow water to get inside the frame, so hopefully it's designed with drain holes. Don't see one of these in my future.
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Old 07-28-14, 06:38 AM
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I does look pretty. The idea of pull-out rack or fender flap is somewhat clever, though I wonder how usable that rack is. But just like Alan S' comment above, lacks the "ultimate" stuff I'd want to a commuter or general use bicycle.
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Old 07-28-14, 06:57 AM
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I like the idea of a competition for a better urban bike. Here is the url for the site where you can watch a video of the different bikes and vote:

Vote // The Bike Design Project
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Old 07-28-14, 08:11 AM
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I ended up voting for the "Denny", which seemed a bit more practical.
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Old 07-28-14, 09:35 AM
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Why the need to look different? An urban bike should have full fenders, real luggage carriers, a chainguard, single speed or IGH, dynamo LED lighting, be able to mount tires up to 2", a reliable stand. That's all IMO.
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Old 07-28-14, 10:02 AM
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An Ultimate Urban bike has no need of fenders, racks, or lighting, so this bike is a misguided attempt based on erroneous initial assumptions.
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Old 07-28-14, 10:20 AM
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Originally Posted by el_diabl0
This looks cool, I wonder how it rides...
No fenders? No need to look any further.
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Old 07-28-14, 11:32 AM
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Interesting bike. the "pull out" fenders and rack are creative, but seem a bit gimmicky. Why not just mount regular ones? Personally I would pass on that feature and mount a real rack that could handle a pannier better.

I would also prefer some gears for hills over a SS/FG bike. I may work in SF, but I am not a hipster and I go up hills.

That said, this bike does check a few "ultimate" boxes for me. Specifically
1. Steel
2. dynamo lights
3. Integrated USB charger
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Old 07-28-14, 11:57 AM
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There are things I like about this bike. The tubing that extends past the head and seat tubes is interesting, allowing for integrated mounting of lights or other such things. Other aspects, like the pop-out rack, not so much. It's got the same infection that all design-project bicycles have: these people ALWAYS put design before function, even if the design is not that exciting. And the result is something that might look interesting (though not always!) but has no functional advantage over existing bicycles. A disappearing rack and fender look cool, but they don't look as though they would be very effective or sturdy.

It's a damn shame, because there's really a lot of potential ground to cover in bicycle design in the area of finding a way to make something functional and beautiful in new and interesting ways. But these designers always seem to go straight for the twee stuff, like retractable racks and fenders, rather than really doing something bold.
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Old 07-28-14, 12:33 PM
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An ultimate urban bike can fly over obstacles, like in ET. Does this one do that? I think not!
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Old 07-28-14, 01:20 PM
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Originally Posted by treadtread
An ultimate urban bike can fly over obstacles, like in ET. Does this one do that? I think not!
Maybe instead of a retractable fender and rack, small rocket engines could be fitted for that purpose.
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Old 07-28-14, 01:41 PM
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Looking at the contest page the Blackline and Evo both look very interesting as well.
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Old 07-28-14, 05:02 PM
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Looks gimmicky to me. That rack is not going to be strong enough to carry a full load of groceries, not by a long shot. It's also more of a racing style bike from the build and not an upright bike.

No real fenders
No full chaincase
No coat guard
No o-lock (also known as a rear wheel lock, or frame lock).

Problem is "ultimate" is highly subjective.

For ME this is the ultimate, just add a front rack.
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Old 07-28-14, 05:22 PM
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That retractable fender is worthless. It's too far off the tire,and only going to stop you from getting a stripe. Won't do anything for your drivetrain. The rack is also worthless;where are the sides to keep panniers out of the wheel?

Also,SS? Yeah,I really want to climb DC's hills on a SS with a loaded rack. Not.
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Old 07-28-14, 09:03 PM
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good looking bike
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Old 07-28-14, 09:09 PM
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Originally Posted by harshbarj
Looks gimmicky to me. That rack is not going to be strong enough to carry a full load of groceries, not by a long shot. It's also more of a racing style bike from the build and not an upright bike.

No real fenders
No full chaincase
No coat guard
No o-lock (also known as a rear wheel lock, or frame lock).

Problem is "ultimate" is highly subjective.

For ME this is the ultimate, just add a front rack.
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A Dutch bike is the ultimate commuter. A workhorse utility bike like the Gazelle Toer Populair is expensive and at 50 lbs its a beast. But its practical every day transportation if not in the least because of its plush Cadillac ride which makes you forget its not a lightweight road bike.
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Old 07-29-14, 08:47 AM
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Originally Posted by NormanF
A Dutch bike is the ultimate commuter. A workhorse utility bike like the Gazelle Toer Populair is expensive and at 50 lbs its a beast. But its practical every day transportation if not in the least because of its plush Cadillac ride which makes you forget its not a lightweight road bike.
No amount of cushy ride can ever make me forget that a Dutch style bike is heavy. This is why "ultimate" is so subjective; I don't particularly like the Dutch bike. Far too overbuilt for how I ride and how I store my bikes. Among city bikes, I much prefer the more lightweight style without the full chaincase, wheel guard, wheel lock, etc. I guess you could say I prefer a more French or Italian-style city bike to a Dutch bike.

Given that opinion on what makes the best "urban bike" is so variable, I'm willing to give the headline writers a bit of a break on this one. I object to the bicycle because it has utility trappings that ultimately sacrifice function for twee design details.
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Old 07-29-14, 11:36 AM
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I am curious as to why people think complicating the basic & simple design of a bike & making it harder to customize is a good idea. A dutch city bike or flying pigeon plus accessories is all you need if you want to design something for mass market commuting.

- Andy
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Old 07-29-14, 11:41 AM
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It's all like Real Estate .. Location, Location, Location.. where do you live, where are you going, and what do You want to carry ?
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Old 07-29-14, 04:48 PM
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Originally Posted by NormanF
A Dutch bike is the ultimate commuter.
To you. We have similar bikeshare bikes here in DC. They suck on our hills. I've also worked on Euro bikes at my clinic,and anything that requires more than one tool and parts removal to remove the rear wheel is all fail.

I dropped somebody on a bikeshare cranking up Wisc Ave today. I was on my Big Dummy with a load of groceries,including 3 12pks of soda. I'll stick with my 3x derailleur drivetrains.
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Old 07-29-14, 05:24 PM
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DC has Hills ? somebody tell the geologist?
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Old 07-29-14, 07:29 PM
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Originally Posted by dynaryder

I dropped somebody on a bikeshare cranking up Wisc Ave today. I was on my Big Dummy with a load of groceries,including 3 12pks of soda. I'll stick with my 3x derailleur drivetrains.
Might it be your superior fitness and enviable talent dyna? One day on my road racing bike I was passed by a full suspension MTB caked with mud. Time to get me a new bike, gol-dernit!

Love the classic Dutch - never go outta style.
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Old 07-29-14, 07:35 PM
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Originally Posted by dynaryder
To you. We have similar bikeshare bikes here in DC. They suck on our hills. I've also worked on Euro bikes at my clinic,and anything that requires more than one tool and parts removal to remove the rear wheel is all fail.

I dropped somebody on a bikeshare cranking up Wisc Ave today. I was on my Big Dummy with a load of groceries,including 3 12pks of soda. I'll stick with my 3x derailleur drivetrains.
"Dropping" strangers while commuting may be important to you. Being able to handle more than one tool also may be a "fail" to you and the folks who you know at your clinic. Numerous bike commuters around the world, including in the U.S. are not wrapped up in "dropping" other commuters. Some even can manage to commute w/o 21 speeds and manage to fix a flat w/o a clinic or a fear of taking an extra minute to fix a flat, and more than likely never find any other reason to remove a wheel.
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Old 07-29-14, 07:48 PM
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Originally Posted by boattail71
Love the classic Dutch - never go outta style.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPKe9OfWs-M
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