fuse visits sycip

At fuseproject we make products, brands and experiences on a global level. We pride ourselves on following our designs from the earliest concept all the way to the factory floor. When our designs finally meet the consumer, oftentimes bringing a product to the mass market requires an impersonal process of manufacturing. You can’t be friends with an injection-molding machine. That’s why we’re so excited to be partnering with SyCip — it’s a rare opportunity to create something distinct and handcrafted in collaboration with the person who is building it.

We met with Jeremy in early January after interviewing three other builders. All of the builders we spoke with had excellent pedigrees, however we chose to partner with Jeremy of SyCip because we felt an immediate kinship. Jeremy went to the Art Center College of Design Pasadena and graduated with a degree in Product Design. His design background is apparent in SyCip’s bikes and this perspective helps our communication and process. We share the same language of craftsmanship and design. Moreover, it was clear that Jeremy’s vision of possibilities is limitless, and his bike designs embrace the type of inventiveness that we strive for in our work.

fuseproject’s internal team is comprised of designers that each have their own particular reasons for participating in the Oregon Manifest Bike contest. Each of us have a unique bike personality. Some of us commute and tour, one of us was a competitive cyclist, one of us competes in Ironman races and others are pure and simple bike enthusiasts. Amazingly, there is a high correlation between where we live in the city and the type of bikes we ride, as illustrated in the bikes of San Francisco poster. Despite our different personas, we are all bound by a common appreciation of the craftsmanship of bikes.

team introduction

fuseproject and SyCip Bikes are ready to “take it to the next level,” from their San Francsico base with a plan to develop a new class of bicycle that is both utilitarian and beautiful. This team hopes that their bicycle will inspire a more inclusive urban bike culture with real world applications as a real sustainable transportation alternative. The builders at SyCip have been crafting custom bikes since 1992 from their “fabrication Shangri-La” in Sonoma County for everyone from Bay Area bike messengers to World Class racers and anyone in between. About 1/3 of fuseproject’s studio commutes by bike regularly, traveling the distance with commutes up to 17 miles away! The sustainable and civic-minded focus of the Oregon Manifest design challenge speaks to the core of this self-described “scrappy” team - not to mention a penchant for competition. Speaking of competition, the folks at fuseproject are throwing down the gauntlet with a proposed mileage competition for bragging rights - studio vs. studio.

C77: How many of you commute by bike? How far?
fuseproject x SyCip: At fuseproject, 1/3 of the studio commutes regularly by bicycle. We range from fair-weather cyclists to committed, rain or shine daily riders, with commutes ranging from 2 to 17 miles each way.

We think it would be interesting to keep this statistic in mind as we design. Over the course of the competition, we could track the ratio of miles ridden per studio size for each of the competing studios. We love ways to encourage more biking, and it’s a fun way to earn bragging rights.

In what way could your city be more accommodating to cyclists?
At fuseproject, we’re lucky to work and live in a city with one of the strongest bicycle communities in the world. As great as San Francisco cycling can be, we see an opportunity to take it to the next level.

Improved cycling may start with new, dedicated bike lanes, but it extends to cyclist/driver education to teach each other how to safely share the road. Increased bicycle parking and storage is an immense convenience, while workplaces could encourage employees to commute by offering lockers and showers in the office. Creating a citywide bike share program encourages even novice riders and visitors to ride. Citywide infrastructure for cycling is a worthy investment for communities to encourage a sustainable way of life.

Why do you bike?
While it’s true that commute times and parking are usually more consistent than driving, we lessen our carbon footprint significantly and connect to our city in a way that is impossible by car. We slow down enough to see the details of our community that we speed by when we’re in a car. And we ride because it’s impossible to not have fun riding a bike.

Bike culture is…
San Francisco is typically known for some dominant camps of bike culture: ranging from gear-head competitors to fixie hipsters. Regardless of your self-identified tribe, cycling is for every gender, race, income and age. There’s an overlooked, more inclusive piece of bike culture that encourages all people to ride and spurs the development of bikes with real world application and access.

What is your collective goal with this project?
fuseproject wants to create a bicycle that is both utilitarian and design-minded. We haven’t seen a good example that creates a new class of bicycle, one with an appeal that goes beyond the competitive cyclist or hipster. Our bicycle will address the current needs of urban dwellers, creating a sustainable choice that is as beautiful as it is functional, marrying design with practicality and solving challenges in new ways. Success to us is developing a solution to solve cyclists’ needs with practicality and beauty.

What separates your team’s design philosophy and approach to this challenge from the other teams?
At fuseproject, we are both civic-minded and committed to sustainability. The OM competition blends these crucial principles that make us who we are as a studio.

A few years ago, fuseproject was commissioned by the City of New York to develop bike helmets that appeal to a new wave of cyclists and excites about riding. We created a solution to broaden New York City’s cycling community and encourage new people to ride. Much of this same thinking applies to the OM competition. How can a new type of ride make cycling in an urban environment a more natural choice?

Making bicycle commuting a seamless and accessible experience has multiple positive impacts in our cities. Lessened road congestion, reduced carbon emissions and increased physical health represent the types of integrated sustainable design solutions that we strive for in all our work.

Any words for the other design teams?
At fuseproject we don’t design according to norms or expected outcomes, we design to hasten the adoption of new ideas, and often it means the work takes on a radical departure from what’s out there. By the way, we also love competition and are pretty scrappy (have you heard about our dodge ball team?), so be forewarned.