The art of mobility

BICYCLE DESIGN: To the people at Biomega, a bicycle is much more than just a means of transport. A bicycle trip, long or short, should be an experience, a chance to show off to others that “here I come”. Biomega represents the new-invented bicycle.

It is the plaything of the ulti mate show-off – and at the same time a wonderfully designed, stylish and well-functioning vehicle. The Biomega bicycle is cut out for the pulse of the metropolis. It is also pure swank. Who would dream of paying USD 1,000 – 8,000 for a bicycle when you can buy an efficient pair of wheels for a fraction of Biomega’s price?

“The same people who would rather drive a Mercedes than a Suzuki,” says Jens Martin Skibsted, one of the men behind the bicycle’s success and today director of Biomega Philosophy. “As cities everywhere are becoming stifled with cars, and are responding by developing bicycle cultures to take over, there are people who choose a bicycle with completely different ulterior motives than just to get a vehicle. They choose a bicycle that says something about them as a person.”

The Biomega bicycle is not just one model, but many different models whose common features are design, innovation and quality. When the first model appeared, it was a revolution in thinking about the bicycle. Since the beginning of mass production in the mid-1800s, the stiff frame was always made from metal tubes of different dimensions which were welded together. When the young Australian designer Marc Newson created Biomega’s first bicycle he was inspired by the automobile and aircraft industry.

The bicycles, named MN after the designer, are fabricated using super plastic aluminium. Biomega pioneered this first-of-a-kind application for the cycling industry, where the frame was made as two shells which were glued together. All cables and wires are hidden in the frame, which is treated with tritium to make the bicycle virtually glow in the dark.

It is no coincidence that Marc Newson’s bicycle immediately got the nickname ’Extravaganza’. And that the bicycle almost became an icon among the international jet set. When Tom Cruise made Vanilla Sky, Extravaganza appeared not only as a means of transportation, but also as a sculpture hanging on the wall in Tom Cruise’s apartment.

“To us the most important thing is entirety,” says Jens Martin Skibsted. “The design is innovation in aesthetics and technology, combined with simplicity of function. It is applied minimalism implemented to the extremes.”

Biomega’s initial design quest was to revive the optimism of the pre-oil crisis era, a revival in the spirit of sustainability. This was largely expressed by the introduction of the Extravaganza. Since then Biomega has broken new ground. Skibsted himself designed a classic town bike where the chain was replaced by shaft transmission, so in literal sense, the internal gear was made automatic.

“Naturally there is an element of show-off when you cycle on a Biomega,” says Skibsted. “But it is primarily pride, visibility and lifestyle that are expressed. It is simply an expression of personal rebellion against the tyranny of cars in the city.”

http://www.biomega.dk