To author Zahid Sardar, a bike means freedom simply because it can take you anywhere.
100 BEST BIKES by Zahid Sardar Laurence King Publishing ISBN: 978-1-78067-008-9 795 baht Available at Asia Books
The two-wheeler has not only survived centuries of new inventions that have hit the roads, but also managed to remain popular around the world. Many car manufacturers, including BMW, Porsche and Audi, have also made their own bicycles, in part to show off their cutting-edge technology.
Sardar has compiled 100 contemporary bicycles and a range of accessories in the book. Some are designed with a retro touch. There are race/tour, BMX, mountain, city/utility, as well as folding and innovative bikes, with the best in design and engineering. Some of them are prototypes, but many can be easily found on the streets and in bike shops.
Mini recently introduced its own folding bike with 20-inch wheels to fit in its tiny trunk.
Dutch industrial designer Tjeerd Veenhoven made his lightweight carbon-fibre bike to look like a coarse-finished wooden frame.
Designed by Christine Outram and fellow students at MIT, "Copenhagen Wheel" has a wireless battery and motorised gear system installed at the rear wheel hub. It turns an ordinary bike into an e-bike that helps cyclists ride longer distances.
It's interesting that these bikes are not only made from metal; some have wooden or bamboo frames. One wooden-framed vehicle by Sydney-based furniture designer Gary Galego is practical enough, although not for a heavy ride.
The accessories part is even more interesting. Created by designers around the world, these accessories, from baskets to panniers and bike hangers, have been made to suit the modern use of the vehicle.
Artist Christopher Brigham created a bike shelf where you could hang your bike and put books on top. Philadelphia-based designers Isaac and Jaime Salm invented a pop-up basket which can be folded back in a flat metal sheet when you don't need it.
Velorbis, Leikier.
Monty Bicycle, Kamel 231 XXV.
Joey Ruiter, Big City Cruiser.
TreeHugger, ThinBike.
Pop-up bicycle basket by Philadelphia-based designers Isaac and Jaime Salm, and saddlebags by Clarijs in the Netherlands.
