Henry Ford popularized automobiles with a breakthrough in performance and price, but this wasn’t a sustainable advantage. Styling and design were rapidly established as essential weapons in the ensuing battle for auto sales. Every decade since his industry has written another chapter in the history book of societal trends and fashion, as well as technology.
Bicycle development has been very different. The bicycle has retained its essential form since the safety bicycle displaced the penny-farthing well over a century ago. The design language hasn’t changed and has become ubiquitous. Certainly this suggests an enduring quality, but I suspect it also reveals a pecking order. The bicycle is always the bridesmaid and never the bride.
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The Koru Bicycle project is my response to this reflection on vehicle history. I’m fascinated with cars and automotive design, but every day I prefer to ride a bicycle rather than drive a car. I wanted to explore the arena of bicycle design, but adopting a pattern of thinking that’s more usually associated with automotive design. Ultimately I wanted to explore if there was a common ground between my interests in both of them.
View the full project here
Source: core77