Pro Cycling + design – a first look at 2010 teams, kits & bikes
As a cycling enthusiast I’m always excited to see the pro team introductions each winter. Even more exciting is seeing what each team kit will look like, and what bikes they’ll be riding. 2010 looks to be a big year with quite a few new teams as well as big players changing squads—most notably Lance Armstrong moving to the new Radio Shack Cycling Team. But while Lance is undeniably the big story in American cycling there are many other names and teams making news. Here are a few teams that I’ve been watching as a sportsman and a designer:
Team Sky
This brand new British cycling team has snapped-up real contenders, including Brad Wiggins (4th in the 2009 Tour de France) and – along with help from sponsors Adidas and Pinarello – are looking like poster children for classic minimalist design.
(Photo by Scott Sunderland/via)
Astana
Led by reigning Tour winner Alberto Contador and completely made-over since 2009, Astana will be looking to repeat the success it’s had over the last couple years. They’ve moved away from the navy blue in their kits… a little too pastel for me, now.
BMC
Swiss team BMC looks to be a real force in 2010. This fall the team signed current US Pro, George Hincapie, Cadel Evans and former World Champion Alessandro Ballan. I’m pulling for Hincapie to finally win Parix Roubaix (the Hell of the North), this April. BMC is from Switzerland… what else do you need to say in terms of design?
Rock Racing
Created by 
Michael Ball of Rock and Republic, Rock Racing is considered a “black sheep” due to their roster including past doping offenders. While these past troubles continue to follow the team, their accolades on the road have begun to stack up— achieving great success from former Grand Tour riders Francisco Mancebo and Oscar Sevilla. As far as design goes, the team has recently launched their own bike line, and, although a fan of their past aesthetic, I’m not completely on board with new new look.
(Photo by Ken Conley/via)
Mmmmm. Sandwich Bike.
I love the idea of putting a bicycle on the market that is useful, trendy and twice as cheap to produce — so buying the product for a regular price leaves means enough to donate one to someone who cannot afford one. This company’s whole design philosophy is pretty cool.
The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra release
All Star Comedy Jam divx Brain Damage divx
Inspired by the concept of flat packing and home assembly made popular by companies like IKEA we finally made a bike out of two wooden plates. Hence its name: The Sandwich Bike. The absence of welding joints makes the frame very easy to produce and [...] materials used can vary according to the client’s demand. This way the bike can be kept simple and cheap, or aesthetically and structurally supreme and therefore reasonably expensive. Just like an IKEA product the bike will be delivered in a flat cardboard box and can be assembled at home with a single tool…
Bartok the Magnificent movie North Dallas Forty buy
For more information, visit the designer’s website: Bleijh.
(via Treehugger Point Break dvdrip )
Bike to Work Fashion
In keeping with my recent post
about the Speed Vest, here’s another nighttime cycling accessory that promises to boost visibility for 2-wheeled commuters. Cordarounds has just introduced their Bike to Work Pants, which feature fabrics that pass as cubicle-friendly khaki by day but transform into reflective beacons once you roll up a pant leg or pull out a rear pocket. Here’s a grainy, blurry nightime video that shows the benefits of the product.
It’s products like this that can help avoid cycling-related accidents and catastrophes. For example, perhaps NY State Senator Jeff Klein would have seen the cyclist he almost hit and could have avoided the embarassing blog chatter about the incident.
Design Trends in Cycling
It’s been a few months since I attended Interbike 2007 in Las Vegas which, for those of you who aren’t familiar, is one of the largest bicycling industry trade shows on the planet. All of the big bicycle manufacturers are there with their new bike line-ups for the coming year and all of the accessory and clothing manufacturers vie for the attention of bike dealers in hopes that they’ll pick up their product lines. It’s a great opportunity to see what’s going on overall in the industry and peep the newest innovations and products before they hit the general consumer. It’s also the perfect place to notice trends that will shape the industry for the next few years. Since the show, I’ve been thinking a lot about some of the trends I see in bike design and marketing.
Change in the bike industry traditionally starts on the fringes and then gets picked up by the mainstream market, so it’s fitting to look at some of the smaller players in the field to see where they see opportunity for new products and ideas. Passionate, small players are the ones willing to take risks, so its interesting to see what opportunities they see in the market. The following report is my unscientific, off-the-cuff observations of developing trends in the cycling industry.