What a nice combination of typography, 3D animation, and bikes. The video below is from Marcel Piekarski. It is a personal project he designed highlighting two things he loves, bicycles and type. He has created an entire alphabet, with posters and still frames for each letter here. This is such a wonderful little project. I hope someone is smart enough to distribute this for him as an actual typeface for designers and artist to use.
Since last November I have been contemplating getting a bike and using it for quick runs to the grocery store, and other errands at the shopping area just down the road from my house. Since I started working from home in June, I’ve been thinking about it quite a bit more. I live on a street with a dedicated bike lane, and the exercise would do me good. The thing is, every time I drive on that same street I witness all the distracted drivers that gravitate right and hug that thin strip of asphalt given to cyclist. Frankly I’m surprised they haven’t had more accidents.
All of this brings up an important topic. How do we make cyclists more visible and safe, and give them a better way to signal to drivers what they are doing? The folks at CYCL have come up with a pretty solid solution for this. WingLights. The video below shows them in action, and if I get a new bike, this is one of the first things I’m getting for it. The price is right and the function of these is pretty unbeatable.
Knowing that every bike rider needs to see and, be seen by motorists, CYCL’s WingLights are a solid solution. The turn indicator light system mounts at the end of your handlebars, and is activated with a touch of a button that you have on each one of them. They indicator stays on for about 45 seconds, or you can turn them off by simply tapping the activation button. When you get to your destination, simply detach them from the handlebars, click them together and attach them to the included carabiner.
Dublin Ireland based bike builder “Funked Up Fixies” creates bright customizable bikes in a variety of ranges and styles. They are a young company filled with passionate young and creative individuals that are into skateboarding, snowboarding, surfing and cycling. The fixed gear bikes they produce are built around the idea of low maintenance, urban suitability, and fun. The video below was produced by Wolf & Lamm for Funked up Fixies an features a sexy, colorful and dramatic spot all set to a soundtrack of French pop music. The look captures the vibe of the company and the product they produce in a somewhat cheeky fashion. One that would probably never make it on prime time TV in America. The clip has a great look, and just the right amount of humor to make it work.
Bicycles come and go, and for the most part the design remains fairly constant. Occasionally though, a bike design pops up on the radar that is different enough it really gets my attention. Viks is one of those designs. Designed and built by Estonian bike maker Velonia, Viks features a Stainless steel frame without seat tube. The frame consists of two identical tubes that form the head tube, seat tube and bottom bracket. Still in prototype phase Velonia is shooting for a small production release later in the April, with full production runs starting later in the year. If you are interested in getting on Viks send an email to info@velonia.com to join the waiting list.
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