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TECH NEWS

Mazda reveals eye-catching concept track bike

Minimalist design created from a single sheet of steel

Mazda – yes, the car brand – has shown this interesting-looking "Bike by Kodo Concept” bike at Milan Design Week 2015.

What the hell is Mazda doing getting into bike design?

The bike, along with a sofa, is a Mazda-designed artwork that was on display at an exhibition called Mazda Design: The Car as Art. Don’t ask us what a bike and a sofa have to do with that.


“Bike by Kodo concept is a track racer that seeks to express the innate beauty of the bicycle,” says Mazda. “Its minimalist structure is composed of the least possible number of parts.

“The frame was painstakingly formed by hammering a single sheet of steel and the black leather saddle is hand-stitched, featuring the same red thread and stitch design as the all-new Mazda MX-5. The bicycle's mixture of dynamism and allure is evocative of the Mazda MX-5's styling.”

A single sheet of steel, eh? That’s what they reckon.

“The Bike by Kodo Concept embodies the ‘less is more’ philosophy of Japanese art and design, reimagining the modern racing bicycle. Mazda craftsmen distilled its frame’s design to its purest form evoking lightness, agility and speed.”

And who or what is Kodo?

“Alluring, dynamic and powerful – Mazda’s new Kodo design theme, inspired by the motion of animals, takes motion as its starting point and creates a sense of movement in the car, even when it is stationary.”

And the bike has been designed to the same design philosophy, apparently.

Well, it looks pretty cool. We especially like the look of that front end with a handlebar that sits right on top of the fork steerer. We’re not saying that stem-less design is especially practical, mind.

 

All pics: Stefania D'Alessandro:Getty Images for Mazda Motor Co

Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.

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10 comments

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The _Kaner | 9 years ago
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as Andy Pipkin has been heard to say (I) Don't like it!
Each to his own, however...

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pedalpowerDC | 9 years ago
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Not quite as stupid as recent Lexus bikes, but pretty stupid.

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fukawitribe replied to pedalpowerDC | 9 years ago
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pedalpowerDC wrote:

Not quite as stupid as recent Lexus bikes, but pretty stupid.

Why ?

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bigshape | 9 years ago
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"What the hell is Mazda doing getting into bike design?"

perhaps one of their car designers is into bikes (and sofas) as well as cars?

anyway, i likes it!

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2 Wheeled Idiot | 9 years ago
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Looks incredible but single piece of metal=utter ollocks....

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RobD | 9 years ago
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Those are some lovely looking handlebars, if they could integrate a stem into them and keep it looking as clean then they'd be lovely.
Nice shade of red too.

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mrmo replied to RobD | 9 years ago
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RobD wrote:

Those are some lovely looking handlebars, if they could integrate a stem into them and keep it looking as clean then they'd be lovely.
Nice shade of red too.

Thinking, do you actually need a stem, as long as the drops are in the right place, ie you design the curve to bring the drops to the right place.

Avatar
fukawitribe replied to mrmo | 9 years ago
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mrmo wrote:
RobD wrote:

Those are some lovely looking handlebars, if they could integrate a stem into them and keep it looking as clean then they'd be lovely.
Nice shade of red too.

Thinking, do you actually need a stem, as long as the drops are in the right place, ie you design the curve to bring the drops to the right place.

No need for it at all - just makes it easier to adjust (different length stems vs. different shape handlebars).

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claybs7 | 9 years ago
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They forgot the end plugs.

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mtm_01 replied to claybs7 | 9 years ago
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And the brakes!

(track bike I know :p)

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