E-bikes may be among the techiest of modern bicycles, but they tend to have big, pudgy designs that look more outdated than cutting edge. Large battery packs, bulging motors, and wires running to and fro have a way of making bikes look big, bulky and busy. Bicycle manufacturers and designers are starting to get hip to the idea that e-bikes should look as clean and high-tech as they ride, integrating electrical components in more seamless ways. The latest is a concept bike from Swiss design firm Concept Cycle.
The bicycle show season just swept through Europe and America, with events like ISPO Bike, Eurobike and Interbike. E-bikes had a strong presence as usual, and one of the themes was lower profile electrical hardware. The award-winning Coboc 3.0 and the e-forked Electrolyte series were two of the designs that addressed the theme in different ways.
The Concept Cycle ONEbike, created by Swiss designer and former racer Andy Muff, is a third. Like the Coboc, Muff’s design integrates the battery pack into the down tube of the frame. He envisions the design working with a variety of motor systems – rear and front hubs and central motor systems are cited specifically.
While the ONEbike looks more visually striking overall, thanks to its curved top tube and offset rear triangle, its down tube integration looks a little larger and more clunky than Coboc’s design. The thick down tube is a dead giveaway that the bike is indeed a big, heavy e-bike.
The ONEbike was showcased at Eurobike, but Concept Cycle's press release doesn't specify whether it has any production future. For now, it appears to be just a design study (i.e. concept cycle).
What do you think? Does integrating the battery pack into the bicycle frame make an e-bike look sleeker and more fashionable? Or is it really just replacing a big, awkward battery pack mounted to a standard frame with a big, awkward down tube?
Source: Concept Cycle
