During last winter’s polar vortex, the brave souls who cycled through the ice, snow, salt, and sludge could be viewed as examples of midwest resiliency. They also could be seen as bundled-up question marks, daring us to explain why we endure a Hoth-like landscape.
The contest focuses on urban utility bikes and encourages both iterative design and a fusion of craft and technology. Alderman’s collaboration with Minimal went according to script. When the firm submitted a series of frame designs—reflective of the aesthetic found in tech products from Minimal such as the TikTok + LunaTik iPod Nano watch—Alderman pushed back, suggesting ways to achieve a minimalist design while respecting weight, balance, and practicality. The result, a frame with a single main tube that cuts an impressive-looking profile, does just that.
“The guys at Minimal ride here year-round. We felt it was important, with the roads being as harsh as they are—potholes, bridges, construction, ice, salt, snow—to make something that wouldn’t break or corrode, a utility bike that would actually work year-round. I’d argue if we started this in the summer, you would have found a different bike sitting here. Since we started in January, winter was staring us in the face.”
- The illustration shown is not the design of the better Chicago bike. The design will be unveiled at a reveal party at Minimal (939 W. Lake) on Fri 7/25, 6-9 PM.
1
Balanced design for safety & stability
While the team can’t take away the fear of getting hit by a taxi or doored, they can build a more approachable, balanced, and functional bike. According to Alderman, the single-stem frame makes their prototype more accessible to men and women of different sizes and heights. “I get e-mails from women who want to, say, ride to work in a pencil skirt, but can’t on designer bikes. We wanted to create a bike that lends itself to all types of user experiences or needs.”
2
Serious brakes for stop-and-go traffic
The team considered but then discarded the idea of coaster brakes (or back-pedal brakes), since that wouldn’t fly with Chicago traffic. The prototype incorporates a hub system that provides the power of hydraulic disc brakes, but doesn’t shift down when you stop, so you can bleed off speed without having to upshift through the gears when you restart.
3
Adjustable racks that fit any cyclist
During user research, riders articulated their different needs, whether it was to store a bag in front or to put a pair of panniers above the back wheel. Minimal built a flexible, modular system to incorporate various configurations, styled in a truss pattern that recalls an industrial past as well as a few of their signature products, such as the Taktik iPhone case.
4
Tougher tires
Ice, salt, and snow aren’t going anywhere, and during West Loop test rides, team members usually discovered patches of potholes whenever they swerved away from an errant meatpacking truck. To provide stability, safety, and fewer flats, the team started with superfat four-inch tires on the initial prototype, which were slimmed down for the final design.
5
Nonstop bike chain
The team didn’t want to make maintenance easier; they wanted to make it obsolete. The stripped-down design removed as many parts as possible that could rust, freeze, or break. In that spirit, they swapped out the standard chain with a carbon-fiber belt drive that wouldn’t lock up in winter weather.
6
Aggressive but practical antitheft
Rather than reinvent the bike lock, the team incorporated a built-in carrier for a U-lock as well as high-tech tracking technology that works like a LoJack for your bike.
Kevin Flatt
Brand director at Minimal
Branding, strategy, messaging, and promotion for the prototype
Garry Alderman
Founder, fabricator, and designer at Method Bicycle
Hand-built and welded the bike’s custom frame
Jacob Nitz
Senior designer at Minimal
Front-end ideation, detail refinement
Ishmael Adams
Bike and frame concepting and design
Chris Watson
Project manager and new-product strategist at Minimal
Oversaw bike design
“I wanted to move away from the trendy, hipster, vintage two-wheelers. I wanted a bike that proposes a new type of architecture, something that’s never been seen before, that integrates features seamlessly to obtain an iconic and minimalistic bike. I was inspired by the Nike FuelBand, a product that is simple but dynamic, cool, and obvious.”
Pascal Ruelle
Product designer at Minimal
Conceptualization, bike features, architecture, look and feel
Matt Puhalla
Creative director at Minimal
Design team troubleshooting, innovation opportunities
Scott Wilson
Founder and chief creative officer at Minimal
Adviser, creative instigator, and investor
