Epo Bicycle
Cycling is a very significant part of the Dutch culture and it has been for many decades. However, an affordable, contemporary Dutch bicycle disappeared from our streets a while ago. The explanation is reasonably simple; a bicycle is a labour intensive product, and for this reason, almost all bicycle manufactures, and with them a lot of other fields of production, moved their production to low-cost labor countries, mostly in South-East Asia. This impressive graduation project by Design Academy Eindhoven alumni Bob Schiller, which he named Epo, aims to revive the local industry and bring production back to the Netherlands. We are very impressed by his design and attached ambition, which also gained him a nomination for the Keep an Eye grant which will be awarded to one graduated student on the 18th of October.
In many great cities in the world, cycling is gaining in popularity. In London, for instance, big investments are being made in a cycling infrastructure. I believe a bike produced in the Netherlands could be worth something over there; the sentiment counts as well.
Inspired by the way cars are produced, the Epo bicycle is made out of two sheets of aluminum, pressed into form and spot welded together. This results in a strong and light frame. Most importantly, its production is efficient and drastically lowers labour costs; making production in the Netherlands possible.
The frame of the Epo is based on the same method. So, with a mould you can produce thousands of bicycles in an automated process. There’s no need for conventional welding anymore.
Keep an eye on the beautiful Epo project here.