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The design of a bicycle seems to have no secrets: its handlebars, its pedals, its saddle, its frame … But within these parameters there is room to invent models of the most peculiar, but no less practical.

Quite the contrary, inventiveness often responds to the attempt to solve a problem , whether it is recharging the battery with green energy in the case of electric bikes, purifying the air, improving road safety or, for example, converting it into a vehicle of load.

If when you think of a bicycle a boring image comes to mind and you can hardly think of variants, wait to see what inventiveness can do from the classic concept of bicycle. In this post we have focused on unusual models that deserve to appear in an exhibition of rare, rare, rare bikes …

Of course, they are marketable bikes, that is, they are either in the prototype phase or for sale. Another separate chapter are the bikes that have been customized once bought or rescued from the trunk of memories, among which we can also find real crazy things, some more functional than others, everything is said.

Among the bia and countless of them, we have selected 12 for you to discover to what extent bicycle design can give of itself and, what is even better, how it can contribute to a greener lifestyle, if possible.

Bikes that purify the air

Indeed, although bicycles are the cleanest transport system, there are innovative models that also include an air filtering system. The father of the creature (you can see it in the image that opens the post) is Matt Hoppe, an artist who lives in Beijing, a tremendously polluted city, with more than 20 million new cars every year.

Its atmosphere is terrible, and pedaling through its streets is a high risk exercise for the respiratory system and health in general. Hope calls his creation , with a clear tone of denunciation, the “breathing bicycle”. The filtration system is fed by the energy produced by pedaling, and the filtered air is then pumped through tubes that reach the rider through a combat pilot mask . Another version (in the same image) is that of Fast Company, baptized as Photosynthesis Bike. In this case, when pedaling, a photosynthetic filter is activated in its aluminum frame that generates oxygen produced from a reaction between water and the electrical energy obtained from a lithium-ion battery.

Renewable energy on wheels

Renewable energies have also reached the design of bicycles. The use of solar panels with photovoltaic cells is no longer a novelty, and in fact we find the most varied proposals, such as the Ele Solar Bicycle, finalist in the prestigious Spark Awards.

Its designer is Mojtaba Raeisi and the panels replace the spokes , with the advantage that they rotate up to 30 degrees to improve the absorption of solar energy. Other options are the Velosphere E-Bike, by designer Sencer Ozdemir, which when parking allows a tent-shaped structure covered with high-efficiency photovoltaic cells to be deployed.

There are many other examples of bikes that take advantage of clean energy or even generate it, such as the EHITS (Energy Harvesting Intermode Transport System), a bike that produces solar and wind energy thanks to a panel that includes the frame and a pair of wind generators installed on two disc rotor wheels.

Sustainable bikes

Certified wood and foldable, so the bike Odachi Folding Bike, Nick Domanski. It is inspired by samurai swords. The idea of ​​its creator is to combine the practical with the heroic, the use of a small bike, easy to transport hung on the back, symbolizing a new warrior. Not the one who fights against an enemy of flesh and blood but the one who does it against the pollution of the big cities, facing a polluting lifestyle.

Muzzicycles are bikes made from recycled PET bottles , transformed into thermoplastic resins. Juan Carlos Calabrese Muzzi is the creator, a Uruguayan plastic artist who has managed to commercialize them. Convert about 200 PET bottles into a bike.

Cargo bikes

Trailer bikes lend themselves to surprising model design . The Camioncyclette (yellow model) is a great example of a load-bearing bike that facilitates transport thanks to two baskets, front and rear.

It can carry up to 150 kilos, and its Hermoan cousin, the MK1 tricycle is another weight invention devised by Butchers and Bicycles, designed so that the load does not impede easy driving.

Bike, scooter or scooter?

There are models that are somewhat ambiguous, halfway between the bike, the scooter or the scooter. Above all, it happens with models designed for urbanites, such as the SSike, a kind of electric skateboard that can also be folded.

URB-E (phosphor green in color) is the other difficult model to classify, a futuristic hybrid of electric scooter and bicycle . The idea is to use it on the journeys to be made in combination with public transport and when we get on the bus or the metro to be able to carry it comfortably well folded.

More curious bikes

Improve the safety of the cyclist ‘s what Crispin Sinclair pushed to make its Babel Bike, most likely the bike safer world. Its seat is part of the shell that protects the driver and the saddle is better not to look for it, because we will not find it. Every detail is designed for safer driving, with structures in the trunk and feet, rear-view mirrors and a horn that does not go unnoticed, precisely.

At his side, a bicycle to ride yourself. It is made by hand, it is made of wood and it arrives in the form of a 17 kg flat pack. Logically, it needs you to assemble it and, in doing so, you acquire the necessary knowledge to be able to repair it. The Sandwichbike is made from sustainable wood.

Bamboo bikes are another green alternative to wooden bikes. Rare among the rare, the Ajira bike is a model that almost almost looks like the Flintstones’ car. And, finally, if we talk about folding bicycles, rarities are also the order of the day. Far from being bizarre, they are of a rarity that seeks functionality. Among others, the MORI bicycle wins points for originality, designed with the help of a 3D technology design. Its peculiarity? In addition to being foldable, it is convertible into a cart to carry the purchase. There it is!

Maria Anderson
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Hello, I am a blogger specialized in environmental, health and scientific dissemination issues in general. The best way to define myself as a blogger is by reading my texts, so I encourage you to do so. Above all, if you are interested in staying up to date and reflecting on these issues, both on a practical and informative level.

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