2013 Galleries
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Galleries // 2013 Spark:Concept // Pulse Urban Bike
Pulse Urban Bike
Winner - Platinum
Competition: Spark:Concept
Designer: Dana Krieger
Design Type: Product
Company / Organization / School: TEAGUE
Website: http://www.teague.com
Pulse acknowledges that bicycle transportation in congested urban environments will only grow in popularity and necessity. Pulse approaches bike commuting as a holistic blend of fashion, fitness, and environmental responsibility. Elements of fixed gear culture and motorcycle riding are combined to make a bike that is simple and efficient yet fully featured, creating an icon for this new behavior and escaping the stigma of mitigated “commuter” solutions. ? Inspired by single-seat, two-wheeled simplicity, like the one-geared bicycles and motorcycles, Pulse proves only good things can happen when form follows purpose. ? Photo-luminescent powder coating ensures added visibility and safety. ? Intuitive controls borrowed from motorcycles bring safety and sophistication; a push to activate switch controls bar-end mounted LED turn signals. A thumb activated switch pushes left and right to activate corresponding signals. Returning to center deactivates the signals. The prototype that was developed used two push buttons mounted vertically to mimic the motorcycle control, but small enough to fit comfortably on the bicycle handlebar. ? Caged pedals provide a three-fold efficiency increase in pedal power but are awkward for most riders and can create cornering challenges, as they tend to hang upside down. Pulse uses low weight materials and a low hung counter weight that ensures the pedal is always in the right position for use and for cornering. ? A rechargeable battery is mounted in the hollow vertical of the handle column. The unit is easily removed and charged by way of a standard micro USB cell phone charger.