X

The ultimate utility bike competition (photos)

The Oregon Manifest competition challenged handcrafted bike builders to come up with the best bike for urban living. In addition to 34 builders in the main competition, three bike builders teamed with three global design consultancies to rethink urban cycling.

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).
Jay Greene
IDEO_OM_Overall2.jpg
1 of 22 Ideo

An e-bike that looks cool

Three teams of bike builders and design firms paired up to compete in the Oregon Manifest bike building competition. Their task: creating the ultimate utility bike. This bike, The Faraday, was created by the Palo Alto, Calif., design consultancy Ideo and Rock Lobster Custom Cycles. It offers a new twist on electronic bikes--elegant, classic looks. The bike features a gentle pedal assist, powered by batteries housed inside the twin top tubes of the frame.
IDEO_OM_Side.jpg
2 of 22 Ideo

A nod to an electric motor pioneer

The control panel for The Faraday electric bike features a button at the top to turn the motor on. That powers a pedal-assist system as well as rear and front lights. And, in a nod to electric motor pioneer Michael Faraday, for whom the bike is named, the tail of the letter "y" ends in a electric plug jack.
IDEO_OM_Fenders.jpg
3 of 22 Ideo

Custom-made wood fenders

The Faraday, created by Ideo and Rock Lobster Custom Cycles, features custom-made steam-bent wood fenders.
P1060981.JPG
4 of 22 Jay Greene/CNET

The Faraday on a field test

Ideo's Adam Vollmer takes a break in Portland's Forest Park after riding roughly 40 miles of the 51-mile field test for Oregon Manifest bike competition.
ManifestBikeHomepage.jpg
5 of 22 Ziba

A sidecar that folds into a bike rack

Ziba, a Portland design consultancy, teamed with Portland's Signal Cycles to create The Fremont for the Oregon Manifest competition. This bike features a sidecar that folds up, origami-style, into a conventional bike rack, seen here.
Manifest_bike_slide_02_1.jpg
6 of 22 Ziba

A bag that's weatherproof and lockable

The Fremont, created by Ziba and Signal Cycles, with its sidecar folded down. The bag is weatherproof and locks into the frame. That way, cyclists don't have to remove the bag at each stop over fears of theft.
P1060934.JPG
7 of 22 Jay Greene/CNET

A belt drive for simplicity

The Fremont, designed by Ziba and Signal Cycles, features a belt drive instead of a traditional bike chain for the ultimate utility bike. The reason: belt drives are easier to maintain.
P1060930.JPG
8 of 22 Jay Greene/CNET

A novel locking system

The Ziba-Signal Cycles build Fremont bike features an integrated locking system to prevent theft. The lock runs through the steering tube of the frame. So if the cable, covered in a pleasing rope braid, is ever cut, the bike is still impossible to ride because the steering column remains locked.
P1060965.JPG
9 of 22 Jay Greene/CNET

Taking the ultimate utility bike for a spin

Signal Cycles' Matt Cardinal, left, riding The Fremont, during the Oregon Manifest bike building competition field test in the outskirts of Portand. He built the bike with Signal Cycles partner Nate Meschke and Ziba, the Portland design consultancy.
17_yves_goofy.jpg
10 of 22 fuseproject

The three-wheeled cargo bike

Design legend Yves Behar atop the bike his firm, fuseproject built with SyCip Designs for the Oregon Manifest bike building competition. The bike features three wheels, which creates room for a cargo platform on the front of the bike.
14_vacuum_1.jpg
11 of 22 fuseproject

A bike built to haul cargo

The fuseproject-SyCip Designs bike features a cargo deck that's large enough for an industrial vacuum. The bike actually handles better with some weight up front.
5_lock.jpg
12 of 22 fuseproject

Integrated locking system to prevent theft

The bike designed by fuseproject and SyCip Designs for the Oregon Manifest bike building competition features an integrated U-lock on the front cargo rack. That way, cyclists can simply nestle the bike next to a parking meter or bike rack to lock it.
7_light.jpg
13 of 22 fuseproject

Push-button lighting built into the frame

The ultimate urban bike created by fuseproject and SyCip Designs features a simple push button lighting system on the front and rear. The lights are housed with watertight o-rings and built right into the frame.
P1060959.JPG
14 of 22 Jay Greene/CNET

Picking up cargo during the field test

SyCip Designs Jeremy SyCip, with the bike he created with designers at fuseproject. Here, SyCip gets ready to leave the first stop of the field test for the Oregon Manifest bike building competition. Each of the utility bikes had to take on cargo at the stop, 10 miles into the 51-mile course.
OM_Donkelope_Bikes.128_DxO.jpg
15 of 22 Oregon Manifest

A bicycle built for two

Creativity in the Oregon Manifest bike building competition wasn't limited to the teams that paired designers with bike builders. Plenty of the bike builders came up with clever creations on their own. This bike, built by Greg Heath of Donkelope Bikes in Bellingham, Wash., features a sidecar big enough for Heath's border collie Rastus.
P1060974.JPG
16 of 22 Jay Greene/CNET

A sidecar passenger

Rastus, the border collie owned by Donkelope Bikes' Greg Heath, riding in the sidecar of the bike Heath built for the Oregon Manifest bike building competition. The bikes were put through the paces during a 51-mile field test, which Rastus rode the whole way.
P1060907.JPG
17 of 22 Jay Greene/CNET

A tipple for the road

On long rides, cyclist often reach for water bottles, tucked away in cages attached to their frames. For urban riding, other types of libations are sometimes in order. These flask cages were part of the Oregon Manifest entry of Portland's Ahearne Cycles.
OM_U_of_Oregon.528_DxO.jpg
18 of 22 Oregon Manifest

The ultimate campus bike, built by students

The Oregon Manifest entry from the University of Oregon was designed to ride around campus. The team of seven design students included a seat post that locks to prevent thieves from swiping it. It also has a slot in the frame to stash a U-lock. The bike won the student competition.
P1060904.JPG
19 of 22 Jay Greene/CNET

Bike fenders when you need them

The bike designed by seven University of Oregon students features retractable fenders to prevent road grit from spraying on cyclists.
P1060891.JPG
20 of 22 Jay Greene/CNET

Utility bike as a car replacement

Pereira Cycles of Portland created a bike to replace cars for short hauls. The bike has a motor to help climb hills or move about town with heavy payloads. It also includes a lockable storage box.
P1060915.JPG
21 of 22 Jay Greene/CNET

A party on wheels

Pereira Cycles Oregon Manifest entry includes a speaker system build into a carbon-fiber storage box. The box also has a dock for an iPhone or iPod.
P1060996.JPG
22 of 22 Jay Greene/CNET

Oregon Manifest winner, bike builder division

Tony Pereira of Portland's Pereira Cycles accepting first place in the bike builder division of the Oregon Manifest competition on Sept. 24. Pereira won the competition two years ago as well.

More Galleries

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera
A houseplant

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera

20 Photos
Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra
magic-v2-2024-foldable-1383

Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra

10 Photos
The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum
Samsung Galaxy S24

The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum

23 Photos
Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design
The Galaxy S24 Ultra in multiple colors

Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design

23 Photos
I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites
img-0368.jpg

I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites

34 Photos
17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About
Invitation for the Apple September iPhone 15 event

17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About

18 Photos
AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?
img-1599-2.jpg

AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?

17 Photos