designed by Ionut Predescu






"Most bikes make use of two back to back triangles in what’s called a diamond frame to give structure and support to all the myriad elements of a bicycle. This Wire Bike from designer Ionut Predescu instead relies on tensegrity to leverage the tensile strength of Kevlar wire against the compression strength of but two carbon fiber tubes. The end result is a theoretically lighter bicycle where the rider and his seat seems to float against the rest of the bike through the tension of the cables."


not sure if this will work in real life.. but it sure is nice to look at.

i don't like the idea of a Kevlar wire being right in the nut area. someone is going to get castrated. that and the concept drawing #1 could use a little more refinement.

its like an old slingshot with an extra wire...eh

Either have brakes or don't have brakes. Brake levers and lines but no calipers, discs or drums = fail.

I hate concept bikes.

very odd indeed

You go first....
Oh no, you go.
Nu-uh.


Slingshot(as was mentioned) crossed with Trimble

Could the calipers be hidden inside the fork?

I'd think it would have the be in the hub somehow, if it brakes at all

Slingshot bikes aren't new:












Another concept bike to ponder:



and one of those "sideways" bikes:



Looks like an Ingo knock-off:





Treadmill bike








Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

get up
uh
flex machine

Uhh, it looks like the seat tube/crank assembly floats inside the rest of the bike. That chain tension is going to be a ***** to maintain. Extra-tight tension on the way up a bump, and then the chain falls off on the way down...

That main tube would get twisted apart.

Stragiht bars lacking multiple hand positions
Cable management?
No foot retention
Jackass.

I like concept projects, as they represent the next step in ideas that advance the world. Obviously this bike is not the final product, but without such effort in history, we'd still be pushing around (literally) a stone wheel.

The problem with most concept bike pictures that end up on the internet is that they are either laughably incomplete (ie, bbattle's pic #4 with no drive train) or are not new (ie, the OP compared to bbattle's pic #1). Bad design and lack of research don't advance anything. They're just lazy.

Ionut Predescu's design isn't a design, it is a pretty picture he drew to show that he can draw pretty pictures.

I like the concept, but it seems to me that you would need something solid between the pedals and back wheel.

Hey,

You know the engineering creed. ...

"If it ain't broken, don't fix it."

In this case "fixing" is enhancing(???) an already proven technology. Also, Ionut is introducing more complexity to the system which increases the number of possible failures. Do people still teach this in college?

But then I would love to see Ionut skidding with this bike. I wonder how he deals with twisting stress. I am softy and don't know crap, but you guys told me frames twist and un-twist as you go.

T

why are concept bikes always deisgned by people who clearly havnt ridden a bike for any amount of time or have a clue about bike design in the first place?

becuase modern bikes are already pretty perfect. slight refinements and weight is the only real advancement in bike technology. maybe electric gears, but i really dont see much advantage in that. i didnt like it when cars became so computers controlled and covered in plastic, to the point when you cant spend an afternoon in your garage fixing it yourself from a haines manual.

ones of the great things about bikes is being able to build and service it yourself at home.

I've love to see a concept bike designed by an actual cyclist for once instead of this crap everytime.

concept bikes that exist in graphic design do absolutely nothing to further bike design. ACTUAL bikes that implement ACTUAL IDEAS represent the next step in ideas that advance the world - or at least bikes.

:RAMPANT SPECULATION: bikes like this are made by nonbikers, nonmechanics. they're made by designers and graphic artists with little knowledge of the needs of a bike, a rider, or the industry... and little knowledge of how to fulfill it. They're just designing something that looks interesting and pleases the eyes of nonusers. Which is dumb.

Furthermore, even deigning to provide criticism of how this drawing would ride if it were an actual bike... well, that's just as silly as it sounds, isn't it?

Top and bottom cables maintain the whole diamond frame rigidity. The only new thing with his "concept" is the newer materials used in its construction. And I'll bet that if we scoured the design schools across the country, this very design has been done before as well.

My above pic shows a bike that was actually raced in the late 1920's.

anyone have any idea what that 2nd cable coming off the right brake lever is? mind controlled internal hub shifter?

Bar mounted internal air pressure system, Twist and Pump

Thanks for posting the photos again, if it weren't for that I wouldn't have know what you were replying too.