
first image
'the grey electric bicycle' by philip crewe
staying true to the sprit of two-wheeled transportation, 'the grey electric' assisted bicycle by UK based designer philip crewe
is a utilitarian alternative for enjoyable cycling. conceptually, the bike references personal mobility vehicles from the first half
of the twentieth century such as the motobecane mobylette and philips panda. these simple two wheeled vehicles were designed
at a time of much experimentation and innovation, and brought mobility and freedom to millions.
aesthetically dominated by its 48v 20ah battery placed as low as possible to the ground, the bespoke double structure enables
the volume of the battery and motor to sit more comfortably by adding depth and moving it away from the largely two-dimensional
feel of traditional framework. a hardwearing, breathable and waterproof fabric bag covers the electric components, protecting them
from the elements. the saddle is made from the same fabric, its shaped to be comfortable both when peddling and moving solely on
electric power.
birchply panels, steam bent mudguards and a detachable wooden rack completes a sense of timeless familiarity and
help build on a sense of craftsmanship. whilst the bar ends made from champagne corks add a whimsical touch.

covered battery pack
the grey electric bicycle by philip crewe

components

details
designboom has received this project from our 'DIY submissions' feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication.
see more project submissions from our readers here
Love it! Real clever design. And I’ll drink to my handlebars tonight.
Beautiful, but, can I move the saddle up and down?
. . . maybe it’s order-made. . . (- . -;
friend,
Congratulations cyclists of Brazil.
I like it very much. presumably that frame can be very stiff and give a low centre of gravity, as long as you accept it as a comparatively heavywight, load-carrying bike. certainly looks a lot better than my alu-framed beast.
I would have thought this an ideal candidate for adding a drive system that utilises the bike’s gears, i.e. not a hub motor, the frame creates enough space around the bottom bracket to do that.
This is incredibly charming. I like its lack of ‘design pretension’. Don’t hate me for that comment.
There is just something right about this though. It looks simple although one knows that it is not.
What town was that shoot in?