Swing bike inspiration and progress

8 years ago

The aesthetic I planned to apply to my swing bike is a sort of freestyle, messy, carefree one. Instead of an organized, meticulous paintjob I’m going for something scattered and fun, to match the spirit of the swing bike. That would be something similar to what Squid bikes does with their frames, but also partially inspired by a 20th century aesthetic born in Russia called Rayonism. This short-lived aesthetic had a modern and technology based focus. It used “rays,” meant to shine out of time and space and break boundaries. The swing bike breaks the boundaries of what bikes can do, so I think it’s fitting.

As for progress on the actual project, it’s coming. IAfter learning how to weld, designing a few iterations of the joint, and overall measuring multiple times before cutting, I’ve finished the Solidworks model for the frame. I know exactly how I’m going to weld it. All that remains is to cut and weld, and decorate. I can’t wait to see how it turns out.

Brendan Lee

4 Comments. Leave new

Meridith Richter
April 3, 2016 11:58 pm

I love that Rayonism look and scattered, geometric concept. How do you plan on painting the bike? I think taping off some sections to create those lines and then spray painting on various colors would probably be one way to manage it. Do you have a specific color scheme in mind? Really I think the brighter the colors the better, something like that pop of red and orange could be very striking. It’s an awesome look to go with awesome bike! I love how the design movement’s ideology mimics the structural concept of the swing bike. Good luck!

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Kenzy O'neill
April 3, 2016 11:23 pm

I had never heard of it, but Rayonism looks like a really cool aesthetic. I wonder if you could somehow incorporate a ray pattern in the open space of the frame by connecting something like wire between the bars of the frame.

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Shawn Sprinkle
April 3, 2016 8:55 pm

On top of the paint job have you thought of how the rims and spokes will play into the aesthetic? I think it would be cool if you could find some wheels that would play into the Rayonism aesthetic

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Andre Szlendak
March 31, 2016 6:29 am

I think like a lot of us doing stuff with bikes, we’re relying largely on the paint to achieve the aesthetic. What method have you chosen to get a suitable paint application to meet the design intent.

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