The Donky Bike and the Rizoma Metropolitan by James Thomas

Aside

I have posted a few of Ben Wilson’s  pedal powered creations in the past.  His designs like the ARTIKCAR , the SeeBikeSaw , the Bike_Kar , and the Pocket Rocket 2  may have been one-off art projects, but his latest bike is a product that you can actually purchase.  The 20 inch wheel, 3-speed Donky Bike  features a heavy duty steel frame with front and rear racks. Though the racks are an integrated part of the frame, they are removable for storage. According to Wilson, “In the future, Donky bike will offer further accessories which will be able to clip onto the frame.” Check out the website  for more information about the bike. You can also purchase one there if you are so inclined.

Another bicycle that caught my attention recently is the Metropolitan , by Italian motorcycle accessories company Rizoma. The seat tube free frame design reminds me a bit of the early monocoque Kestrels  that we sold in the bike shop where I worked in college. I still have a lingering affinity for those vintage Kestrel frames, so maybe that’s why this bike intrigues me a bit. Some of the design details are pretty interesting too… particularly the handlebar/stem assembly (see detail shots of that and more here ). At €3,700 though, this is definitely NOT an urban bike for the masses…and I won’t get into the sizing and step over clearance issues that this type of frame introduces. It does look nice though, as you might expect for a bike designed and manufactured in Italy, so if you have that kind of money burning a hole in your pocket…why not?