Parisian designers Amtpome Fritsch and Vivien Durisotti are known for their green approach to furniture design, especially their use of natural fibers like bamboo and rattan. Aiming to optimize the natural attributes of the materials in the most efficient way possible, Fritsch+Durisotti design some beautiful furniture that once it reaches the end of its life cycle can end up in the compost, rather than the trash.
They also experiment with bikes.
As you might imagine, a company that bases its design on green principles, also feels pretty strongly about the cleanest forms of transport. Judging by their website, Fritsch+Durisotti were doing bamboo bikes before it was cool – collaborating with the CEO of Hermes in 1994 to create a frame made of natural bamboo, linen thread for lugs, wooden rims, handlebars, and a cork and leather saddle. Their latest experiment is with glue-laminated bamboo, rather than bamboo in its natural form – sort of like bamboo carbon.
The Tri-carrier is a looker, but just how do you turn it? Find out, next.
The Tri-Carrier is designed as a cargo bike, which you wouldn’t know if you don’t have the rattan cargo basket visible. The press release we received didn’t include an image of the basket, and I was having a hard time figuring out how it would turn – but after digging through their site, the all important basket/handlebar was discovered. The basket utilizes design work perfected with their Spline furniture range, that features a stainless steel framework with natural rattan.
The cargo basket attaches to the front deck and then allows the rider to steer the bike. Designed to carry up to two small children, groceries, or other bulky items, the front cradle is able to be adapted to a number of uses.
From a far, the bike almost looks as if it is made of wood, though the entire frame is crafted from long strands of bamboo fiber that are glued and pressed together. This is what allows for such graceful curves, with the edges smoothed out after the frame has set.
