Articles, Featured Articles, Industrial Design

Dominic Hargreaves has managed to push the envelope of collapsibility and more than likely epitomize the art of bicycle origami (at least for a few years). His bicycle, while not the first to utilize a folding system, does so in a manner that results in the final product being an easy to transport, small and efficient package that is akin to that of a robot out of the Transformers. The bicycle folds up into a package just barely bigger than the diameter of the wheels and the resultant package can easily be rolled about in it’s closed form.

Dominic Hargreaves Folding Bicycle Concept - Closed

Dominic Hargreaves Folding Bike Concept - Open

The design seems to get many things right, and has garnered interest from three productions companies already, and has begun to be nominated for awards. While other folding bicycle designs often choose to use smaller tires in order to minimize the overall compact volume, the 24 year old student of the Royal College of Arts chose to utilize a full size bike in order to maintain smoothness and ease of pedaling while riding. While the act of collapsing the bike and reverting back from the collapsed form are somewhat more involved than other folding bicycles, such as the IF-Mode folding bicycle, it is also a student prototype design. When production companies get a handle on the design of the bike, it is almost assured that the time taken to tear down and open the bike up will shrink drastically from the time it takes now. More beneficial still, Dominic does not see a reason why the bicycle would cost more than £400, which is a drastic difference from one such bike on the market now.

It is refreshing to see such a ‘low tech’ product garnering such high profile attention, specifically in a time when the bicycle could be poised to play a larger role in our lives.  Taking a step back and looking at the big picture, in terms of such looming threats as increasing gas prices and gas emission worries, it makes sense to focus on such clean and environmentally friendly products as the bicycle.  It makes sense to do everything we can, as designers, to encourage people to make the right choice.  It makes sense to make it as easy as possible for the user to make that choice, regardless of any environmental stance, but just because they want to.  As designers, it makes sense, but we have to continue working, innovating, and improving to make sure that it makes dollars too, or else it’s just one more good idea that never got off the ground.