The Web giant held an internal competition to design the next GBike -- the grab-and-go bikes stationed across its Mountain View campus. A team of engineers came up with a new, low-maintenance ride.
Jay Greene
Jay Greene, a CNET senior writer, works from Seattle and focuses on investigations and analysis. He's a former Seattle bureau chief for BusinessWeek and author of the book "Design Is How It Works: How the Smartest Companies Turn Products into Icons" (Penguin/Portfolio).
The winning entry among an internal competition to design a new bike to tool around Google's Mountain View campus features a steel frame, 24-inch wheels, a coaster brake and a hand brake. And it's painted in Google's familiar red, yellow, green, and blue. The company will roll out the new model by the end of April.
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The runner-up
This bike design came in second in the Google competition. It features coaster brakes, a three-speed gearing system in its hub, and 24-inch wheels. A lighting system was powered by the front wheel.
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The third-place bike
Here's a sketch of the design that came in third place. This bike featured a BMX-style frame with 24-inch wheels. Though not visible in the schematic, the design also called for a rear reflector mounted on the fender and a fine mesh basket to accommodate silverware in case Googlers need travel across campus with a meal.
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The current GBike
The current GBike features small wheels, which add to the aesthetic but make them uncomfortable to ride for tall folks. Google introduced this GBike in 2010.
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Grab-and-go bikes
Google has outfitted its Mountain View campus with hundreds of GBikes that employees can grab from racks scattered near buildings to ride to their next meeting.
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The first GBikes
The first generation GBike, the blue bikes to the left in this photo, are beach cruisers. Google introduced those bikes in 2008.
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