The Kyoto Bike

“Make it curved, like the Hiragana Japanese alphabet! It’s coming with me to Kyoto!”

That was one of my instructions from the inimitable Katja. A mini cargo bike, with capacity for carrying pets, books, materials, the detritus of life and art.

So I made an 8m radius former and bent a whole bunch of tubes for a curved mixte, curved racks, curved stem. The front rack unbolts for the occasional flight, and the quick release MKS pedals, tiny wheelbase and Pinion gearbox with Gates belt make packing it really simple and easy.

The gearbox mounts on custom sliding aluminium plates, to take up the belt tension, along with a stainless splitter for fitting the belt. There’s a spring loaded steering lock to make sure it’s super stable when on the kickstand being loaded up, and

“Make it glittery like a meteor” said Katja.

With this bike, I was aiming for whimsical utilitarianism, curved like a language. I think we got there. I have the best customers.