Wooden bikes may be beautiful, but they’re also a tad impractical. Nevertheless, there may be unexpected value in wooden bike frames, which architects can use to understand important structural challenges and prototype new designs.
That, at least, is the rationale behind bike manufacturer AERO’s latest prototype. Architects Martino Hutz, Atanas Zhelev and Mariya Korolova built this wood-framed bike not so that they could ride it, but to study how thin wooden sheets can be used to build stronger buildings. Zhelev tells Deezen that “The bicycle is perfect to test how wooden structures work in different scales with different loads.”
The bike frame is composed of lamellas—millimeter-thick sheets of birch wood glued together into strips that splay out at the points where the crank and peddle are fixed, as well as below the seat. The natural fibers of each lamella were aligned to enhance the structure’s overall strength. Zhelev and his team are finding that this layering method offers lightness, improved flexibility and enhanced durability over traditional wood-based building materials.
Also, talk about a damn beautiful bike. [Deezen]
Images reproduced with permission from AERO. You can check them out on Facebook and find more work from these designers here and here. Renderings were done by Maveo Schneider & Kreitmeir GbR.
Follow Maddie on Twitter or contact her at maddie.stone@gizmodo.com