Bicycled: Car Parts Upcycled Into Awesome Hipster Bikes

In what I can only describe as an amazing example of upcycling, creative agency LOLA Madrid has begun prototyping funky commuter bikes made from converted scrap auto parts.

First of all, a look at the bike. Actually I couldn't find an actual photo of the finished product, so here is a still from the video, showing the tail light being tested.

(Still from video)
Here are some of the features detailed in the video:
  • bike frame from door and other car components
  • chain from transmission belt (seriously, no actual chain!)
  • tail light from turn signal
  • seat and handlebar covers made from car upholstery
  • seatpost clamp from a door handle

[Aside: Yes, I'm calling these hipster bikes. Because when the trend in a sport is to reduce bike weight using carbon fiber and other ultralight materials, building a bike out of heavy metal torn out of cars seems somewhat counter-intuitive. Epically green and eco-friendly, but definitely not designed to shave significant minutes off your time.]

Now there is pretty much zero information on the bikes on the Bicycled website but you can sign up to be on the waiting list. Given the secrecy, I wouldn't be surprised if (a) these never see the light of day, or (b) they show up on Kickstarter sometime soon (and then never see the light of day). My skepticism stems from the fact that they went out with an announcement before they were anywhere near announcing an actual launch. Typical of agencies, non? No launch date, no clue about pricing, no product shots... No clue if they will ever get produced. And unfortunately, it's somewhat likely that if they do end up being manufactured, they might be enough of a niche product that their price will actually be higher than standard commuter bikes, to offset the amount of manual labour that goes into these.

I hope I'm wrong, because as I said before, these are a fantastic example of upcycling. We need more affordable alternative products that re-use man-made materials.

Take a look. Would you consider getting one of these?

(Source: The Awesomer)

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