The Campus Bike: How to build a bike from scratch

To design and build an ultimate and well-crafted utility bike was the task of the Oregon Manifest Challenge 2011. Students of the University of Oregon understood that designing a bike requires not only a deep understanding of the history of the bike but also to care for a new generation of riders. Hence, they developed the “Campus Bike”, a daily commuter for students that live on and around urban areas.

The adjunct professors Christian Freissler of Ziba Design and James Molyneux of Nike’s Innovation Kitchen initiated the student project. Fascinated by the idea of building a bike from scratch their team mastered the whole design process, from research to the building of a prototype. The result is a mini-velo based on 20 inch wheels and modern bike geometry. It easily withstood the 50-mile field test, but the team’ s interest went beyond the mere functional requirements. They designed a lot of smart solutions which react to the special needs of students. Equipped with a locker, a retractable kickstand or an adjustable carrier for books and groceries it supports their daily activities. The Campus Bike was awarded recently with the IDEA 2012 Gold Student Award.