Our mobility is changing. The car is losing importance. Cycling is much healthier and more environmentally friendly. Thanks to digital networking, the expansion of infrastructure, e-bikes and modern lifestyle trends, the bicycle is experiencing growing popularity.
At the same time, the way in which bicycles are manufactured is under scrutiny. Until now, manufacturers produced large numbers at low prices – largely in the Far East. Now they come upon urban cyclists who appreciate owner-managed bike shops, repair cafés and bike garages as well as quality and design. Furthermore, in the course of digital product development such as 3D-printing, laser sintering and motion tracking, new urban production possibilities are emerging, also known as Industry 4.0. The sports shoe manufacturer Nike, for example, shows with its Nike ID project how local shops and digital forms of production can be used to produce an industrial product like a sports shoe individually according to customer wishes. This was the starting point for the students of the Design Department. They used the possibilities of urban production in Offenbach and Rhein-Main to produce bicycles according to individual needs and wishes. They developed frames, saddles, pedals, stands and services that can be adapted to individual body sizes or meet the current demands of cyclists in terms of securing ownership, repair options and maintenance.
Type of project • Student project
Supervisors • Prof. Peter Eckart, Dipl.-Des. Julian Schwarze
Participants • Felix Pape, Mervyn Bienek, Nadine Auth, Nora Etmann, Shaohui Huang, Martin Stegmaier, Anna-Lena Moeckl, Max Stalter, Bennet May, Daniel Rese, Helena Reinsch
Status • completed
Duration • 04/2016 – 07/2016
Cooperation and Funding • Canyon Bicycles GmbH (Lars Wagner, Sebastian Wegerle)
