Concept Bikes:
Eurobike 2019
Concept bikes scratch at that part of your brain needing something new & creative
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Why Concept bikes?
At Schwift, each year before Eurobike, we hunker down away from the standard rigs we build and create a concept bike. We start from the ground up with ideas of bikes we would love to ride, then start designing them. The design is an on again off again process from about November through June and then the parts start rolling in. From 3d printed motor nodes for the new Bosch Gen 4 motors, to new dropouts that have percolated in the brain for 20 years. It is a fun process, and this year's EB 2019 we decided to build up a cargo bike. It is a new category of bicycle, an "S-Cargo!"
It is all in the name. Due to the "S-Cargo" (sports cargo) category, we decided we needed a name to fit just right. The S_cargo is all about carrying your goods with you, and doing so without compromise- on the gravel, on the pavement. The Snail seemed fitting since it carries its home on it's back but needed to be quick So we called it the "Fast Snail" or "Schnelle Schnecke" going along with the theme of every @schwiftcycles bike starting with a "SCH" it only fit. #schnelleschnecke Ohhh, and escargot.....
The Boom Tube
The Boom Tube!! That's what we've been calling this monstrosity. Or maybe a really nice potato launcher? To house the "power" we need space and lots of it. This 4" Titanium tube is where all things connect. This image shows the raw frame before bead blast and with the fitment of our custom bags from Bedrock
3d Printed
We have been working on 3d printed parts in titanium since 2012 when we created a 20" bike for Bosch that coincided with their Generation 2 Performance line launch. It was a fabulous machine with many innovative designs for 3d printing. While many of the parts on this bike were not realistic for production, it set in motion plans for Schwift and where we are today. Machines have matured, and our design for manufacturability is honed.
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The balance is finding appropriate parts that can be made cheaper, stronger, lighter with SLM machines, and compliment our design while reducing pains in manufacturing the frames. We feel we have hit many of those targets now with our 4th Generation Bosch machines.
Partners
Without partners we would be limited in our scope for production and concept bikes. This year, we had such a fan time creating the ideal bike and would like to thank Kevin for getting our 3d parts in our hands in just the right time, pulling out the stops and those parts were absolutely perfect!! BedrockBags whose bags made the Schnelle Schnecke pop and complimented the titanium so well; WTB who helped with bars, grips, rims and tires fit for cargo; White Industries who helped with headsets cranks, and a bomber front hub, and our friends at Rohloff whose 14 speed internal hub with E14 shifting is absolutely flawless with Bosch and a cargo bike. Finally, a special partnership with Gates Carbon drive allows us to focus on cleaning up the drive train, silencing the vehicle, increasing the life of power transmission, and decreasing maintenance needed.