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Bicycles

Peugeot's elegant DL122 - the bicycle with a laptop compartment

By Mike Hanlon
March 10, 2012
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Luggage capacity on a bicycle can be carried many ways - predominantly a backpack worn by the rider or a carrier above the rear wheel or on the handlebars. All of those locations are far from ideal for the handling of a light two-wheeler because they put heavy objects a long way from the center-of-gravity.
The Peugeot DL122 - the bicycle with a laptop compartment
The Peugeot DL122 - the bicycle with a laptop compartment
Luggage capacity on a bicycle can be carried many ways - predominantly a backpack worn by the rider or a carrier above the rear wheel or on the handlebars. All of those locations are far from ideal for the handling of a light two-wheeler because they put heavy objects a long way from the center-of-gravity.
The Peugeot DL122 - the bicycle with a laptop compartment
The Peugeot DL122 - the bicycle with a laptop compartment
The Peugeot DL122 - the bicycle with a laptop compartment
The Peugeot DL122 - the bicycle with a laptop compartment
The Peugeot DL122
The laptop compartment is lockable
The laptop compartment is lockable
The Peugeot DL122 - the bicycle with a laptop compartment
View gallery - 11 images

Elegance and practicality are a killer combination, and both are abundant in the latest concept from Peugeot. The company's rethinking of the traditional urban bicycle won't suit everyone, but it will almost certainly appeal to enough cyber-serfs to warrant production. The design highlight is the positioning of bike's leather laptop compartment, which is safer for the laptop, and provides a better balanced bike that's nimble and fun to ride. You can even lock the briefcase in place.

The genius of the design is how the location of the leather carrying compartment has relocated the center-of-gravity of the bike/luggage combination back to roughly where it is when there's no luggage.

Luggage capacity on a bicycle can be carried many ways - predominantly a backpack worn by the rider or a carrier above the rear wheel or on the handlebars. All of those locations are far from ideal for the handling of a light two-wheeler because they put heavy objects a long way from the center-of-gravity. The center-of-gravity is just the average location of the mass of a bicycle, e-bike or scooter. If you make as much of the weight as close to the center-of-gravity as possible, you can significantly reduce the moment of inertia in pitch, roll and yaw. It's a similar process that Erik Buell went through when he rearranged to components of the motorcycle to such great effect.

A more compact center-of-gravity results in a MUCH better handling two wheeler, regardless of how it is powered.

Having achieved all this so elegantly using non-traditional bicycle materials such as aluminum, wood and leather adds further to the allure of the DL122.

Peugeot has a long and proud history of building bicycles, beginning in 1882 and predating its motorcycle and car production which started in 1889. The company's bikes have won the Tour de France 10 times.

A few last thoughts - there has been no price mentioned at this point in time. It is a concept but will probably see production because it is so good. The design really offers a safer bicycle, because the DL122 is maneuverable when loaded, which most bikes are not.

View gallery - 11 images

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BicyclesPeugeotBuellLuggageWoodAluminum
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Mike Hanlon
As a photojournalist, Mike’s work has been published in a dozen languages across 20+ countries. He has edited or managed over 75 different print publications, each with a different target audience: sports, automotive, advertising, marketing, design, ad infinitum. Mike has been working in the internet for more than 25 years and was the veteran of five internet start-ups before founding New Atlas in 2002.
10 comments
Slowburn
If your laptop will fit in the triangle or you have a bike with a low enough frame such as a girls bike wiping up something similar would be an afternoons project.
Carlos Grados
I wonder what else people will put into that space besides laptops? I like the idea that you can design the bike to work with rather than against the center of gravity.
Andy Barrow
I would be concerned about the shock loads placed on a laptop in that position. Most bikers will stand on the pedals slightly to get their butts off the seat when they are about to hit a rough spot in the road, thus protecting whatever is on their back, and their tires, from too much shock. Having a laptop essentially strapped to the bike forces it to be subject to whatever shocks the bike frame takes, and edge-on like that could put some pretty significant shocks on the edge of a laptop screen. I would worry about cracking the screen of my laptop.
Richardf
This leaves room for breifcases that charge laptops on the go
kugdi
I really hope the "elegant" part of the title was tongue in cheek. Otherwise, good concept to resistance a commuter bike.
Michael Crumpton
I'm not sure I would want my laptop bouncing directly on the frame of the bike. I suspect it would be safer to have it in a laptop bag on a strap over my shoulder or in a backpack on my back where it is somewhat insulated from every little bump on the road.
It seems like this bike is a solution without a problem. More serious problems that could use fixing on that bike are adding some fenders so if you ride through a puddle you won't get sprayed by your wheels, or how about a place to put your bike lock tire pump or rain poncho. If you are going to have a cargo compartment, why not make it lockable?
Cyclorama
Don't believe the hype. The location of the centre of gravity of a non suspended, non-perfomance bicycle is of minimal importance. This isn't a heavy and fast motorcycle which pitches and yaws around in in its suspension travel in response to acceleration, braking and cornering forces. And anyway, even if it was relevant, the centre of gravity of any vehicle should be calculated with the rider aboard. The centre of gravity of a bicycle moves sharply upward when the rider gets on the saddle. Michaelc is right, it's a solution for a problem which simply doesn't exist. More greenwash.
Bruce H. Anderson
I had a pouch for carrying books in the frame of my Schwinn Contintental in 1969 (before laptops were invented), so nothing new here. A few books were fine. More than a few, or with something like a briefcase, and you are riding bowlegged.
Dawar Saify
The shocks would destroy the laptop, bikes are dynamic as the rider has direct control on acceleration, weight on seat then legs and hands on handle bars. For a person commuting with laptop, he won't be concerned about pitch and yaw. But this design can be refined for other uses, like the middle area could have high capacity batteries for electric version.
unklmurray
I read the comments until I got the jist of the "Naysayers"Rhetoric.....being worried about their laptops being damaged in the frame,while I don't carry a real expensive laptop the "Soft case" placed inside a hard shell briefcase and then inside of the frame as shown.....should protect it well enough....I have a leather shop,I make cases for "Tablets & laptops and while I don't recomend it my cases can be tossed around without damaging the contents......no I haven't tried to house raw eggs yet but Laptops are more resilient that raw eggs.....LOL :-)
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