'Bike to the Future' at Design Museum in Gent

Bike with wooden frame — Design Museum Gent is currently showcasing an array of daring, forward-thinking and exquisite contemporary bike design. Pictured: 'Aero' bicycle, by Martino Hutz, Atanas Zhelev and Mariya Korolova, 2015

(Image credit: TBC)

'Bike to the Future' is the latest testament to a cycling revolution we've been witnessing since the 1960s. But the Design Museum Gent isn't interested in the past; between 25 March – 23 October it showcases a collection of contemporary models from the new millennium, including Philippe Starck's electric bike 'MASS' or Tobias Knockaert’s laser-cut bicycle, and prototypes and experiments for the future, with unusual aesthetics, materials and functions.

Wood is popularly employed across exhibition; designer Ross Lovegrove went as far as using bamboo to build a bike frame (it's a surprisingly ideal material, being both flexible and robust). Experimenters went mad with storage space, considerably expanding the awkwardly sized basket we're currently used to, and placing it on ground level – like an amalgam of wheel barrow and a bike – or even in the middle, between the seat and the steering wheel. To further adapt the bicycle to today's hectic life and long commuting distances, Gianluca Sada created a folding bike the size of an umbrella. A few additional accessories join the bikes at the exhibition, such as the magnetic bicycle light ‘iFlash One’, designed by the Danish studio KiBiSi.

It seems like spring is the season for bike events, with Bristol's Bespoke handmade festival taking place from April 15–17, and the Urban Bike Festival in Zurich recently animating the Swiss city between April 1–3. In a society obsessed with health and increasingly aware of environmentalism, this velo-mania testifies to how two wheels have increasingly become an essential part of our urban visual identity.

Bike with metal and bamboo frame — The show is the latest testament to a cycling revolution we've been witnessing since the 1960s. Pictured: Biomega 'Bamboo' bike, by Ross Lovegrove

White frame of bike with feather design and black wheels — 'Alérion', by Keim Cycles, 2014

Bike with light brown fur over the frame — 'MASS', by Phillippe Starck, 2014

Elongated metal bike frame with storage area at the front — Experimenters went mad with storage space, considerably expanding the awkwardly sized basket we're currently used to. Pictured: cargobike, by Elian Cycles, 2016

Futuristic bike with white and black frame and no pedals — 'HMK 56', by Ralf Kittmann, 2007

Old fashioned metal framed bike with crate of bottles attached in the middle of frame — In our society obsessed with health and increasingly aware of environmentalism, this velo-mania testifies to how the two wheels have increasingly become an essential part of our urban visual identity. Pictured: 'KleinLaster', by Nele Dittmar, 2016

INFORMATION

'Bike to the Future' is on view until 23 October. For more information, visit Design Museum Gent's website

ADDRESS

Deisgn Museum Gent
Jan Breydelstraat 5
9000 Gent

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