Silas Beebe and Rob Tsunehiro : Award winning bike

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Flotspotting: Silas Beebe's Ideation for Oregon Manifest
Posted by Ray | 30 Sep 2011 | )
Silas Beebe (left) and Rob Tsunehiro; photo courtesy of Oregon Manifest

At risk of beating the topic to death, at least one of the 33 entries in the 2011 Oregon Manifest has a portfolio on Coroflot, and it just happens to be second place winner Silas Beebe, who collaborated with framebuilder Rob Tsunehiro on a refined city bike with Portland flavor.

The freelance Senior Industrial Designer explains his background and inspiration:

As a fifth generation Oregonian, I want to make this bike a tribute to the importance of local craft and practicality.
I want to use Oregon materials as much as possible: local leather; Douglas Fir, the Oregon state tree, from family timber land; components from local companies like Blaq Bags and Chris King; and, of course, the design and build talent of our team.

Café Classic Ideation: This design combines some of the best features of both classic American cruisers and European city bikes, but improves upon them with thoughtful and practical integration of cargo and passenger capacity.

From a purely aesthetic perspective, the bike simply has classic lines and details alongside upscale upholstery; the custom reflective paint has a practical purpose as well.

In addition to functional features such as the eight-speed internal hub and disc brakes, Beebe and Tsunehiro added several signature touches, such as the removable memoryfoam passenger seat and hand grips below the seatpost collar.

Each of the custom zip-off panniers has 10” flashing tail lights, while the dynamo-powered LED headlights are cleverly integrated into headtube spacer rings.

Last but not least, the Tsunehiro/Beebe bicycle features a mini U-lock in front rack and an easy-access cargo pocket below top tube with dynamo-powered cell phone charger.

We were certainly glad to see that the unofficial design/build team—an independent take on the three Creative Collaborations—was recognized for their efforts. Congratulations guys!

Photo by Jonathan Maus (BikePortland), who has additional photos at Flickr.

WALL STREET JOURNAL LINK

OREGONIAN AND WALL STREET JOURNAL

Silas is the son of PDX owner/director Jane Beebe ...proud mother.

Innovations in Bicycle Safety and Usability Unveiled at Oregon Manifest

PORTLAND, Ore., Oct. 4, 2011 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- The nation's leading custom bike builders gathered in Portland on September 24 for Oregon Manifest, a demanding competition that allows designers and builders to showcase their best ideas and compete for the title of the ultimate urban utility bike.

Second place went to the collaborative design/build team of Rob Tsunehiro of Tsunehiro Cycles and Silas Beebe of ID+. Tsunehiro, a former Boeing engineer and custom bike builder, and Beebe, an industrial designer with over a decade of global design experience, who won for their "Louis Vuitton of city bikes."

In awarding the second place finish, Rob Forbes, founder of Design Within Reach and Public Bicycles, challenged the other judges to "show me one way this bike falls short." In their hands, the practical urban utility bike maximized its functionality but with added elegance and safety.

Addressing the number one cause of serious injury bicycle accidents, the focal point of the design was an emphasis on high visibility. The Oregon Manifest competition was the scene for the unveiling of the world's first bicycle with Halo Coatings' patented retro-reflective powder coat paint. While maintaining a classic grey and khaki daytime appearance, the wheels and entire frame reflect white in car headlights.

Also shown in public for the first time was an ingenious matching waterproof leather and canvas pannier system, made by Blaq Design, that has 10-inch tall electro-luminescent tail lights sewn in for superior rearward visibility. In addition, a cleverly integrated clear acrylic LED handlebar stem spacer ring functions as a headlight, but also scatters light to the sides and back, allowing the bike to be seen from any angle.

Bill Strickland, editor-at-large for Bicycling magazine says, "The bike is an amazing mix of classic looks and materials, with forward-looking technology." The luxurious leather, brass and steel entry features a convenient top tube cargo pocket with integrated USB mobile device charging for easy access to a phone or iPod while riding, an easily removable memory foam passenger seat with footpegs and passenger grips, and leather cargo straps that function as skirt guards but also provide simple, on-the-fly load carrying.

Beebe remarks, "I've been experimenting with passenger seats for years, and searching for ways to amplify convenience and safety on a bike with style, but it took the Oregon Manifest competition to spur me into finally building that dream bike."

The team also considered the design's sustainability in using pre-consumer factory scrap for all the leather, foam, and many of the metal details. The front rack and rear passenger seat are both made from reclaimed wood and local suppliers were used for the Blaq Design bags, the elegant leather Kleen Kanteen water bottle, and Portland Design Works hand grips.

Portland is recognized worldwide for its commitment to cycling, sustainability, and compact urban development. The city attracts a creative populace and has, over the past decade, become a leading center for bicycle transportation and custom bicycle design. The Oregon Manifest design competition was born of this enthusiasm for cycling.

Photos: http://www.core77.com/blog/flotspotting/flotspotting_silas_beebes_ideati...

http://oregonmanifest.com/constructor/tsunehiro-cycles-and-silas-beebeid/

For ordering and additional information:www.tsunehirocycles.com, www.blaqdesign.com, www.halocoatings.com, www.silasbeebe.com

Media Contact: Silas Beebe ID+, 503 734-7561, silasbeebe@gmail.com

News distributed by PR Newswire iReach: https://ireach.prnewswire.com

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photo courtesy of Oregon Manifest

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