Bike Anti-Porn - When Things Go Wrong

^that's near Edgeware Road. A friend of mine had one, it disintegrated when going round Old St. roundabout.

Indeed! Just outside Edgware Rd tube is where I spotted it.

Do you know anything about these bikes?

^It's an Itera Plastic Bicycle.

It's plastic. That's all I know.

christ thats offensive

And a repost.

And secretly slightly awesome...

Iteras were awesome, before they all went brittle! Now you'd be safer riding a frame made of Nik-Naks.

Indeed! Just outside Edgware Rd tube is where I spotted it.

Do you know anything about these bikes?

That's a Itera. It's so notorious here in Sweden that it's pretty hard to study engineering or industrial design without reading something about it.

It's a plastic bike 20 years ahead of its time. Basically in 1980 a couple of Volvo engineers in Gothenburg thought they could make a bike in plastic. The bike was hailed as the next big thing in Swedish design by the industrial design establishment who were (and still are might I add) completely clueless when it comes to bikes, won a few prizes. They received a lot media coverage, and they got massive government grants to manufacture the bike in the north of Sweden, so as to generate employment opportunities in rural communities. It was all politics.

The bikes themselves were terrible of course, even the "super light" racing model weighed something like 19kg and was more flexible than an Eastern European gymnast, and only gets flexier as the weather becomes warmer. Not to worry though, the plastic gets harder when exposed to UV radiation in sunlight, and after a few months parked outside would become brittle. Pretty much nothing on the thing used bike industry standards (probably because the designers knew nothing about them), everything was proprietary. Even the tools included with the bikes were proprietary. The final product came out IIRC in early 1982, and the company folded in late 1982. The Swedish government invested a lot of money in the project, and to save face they took over the company and ran it till about the mid-1980s. It was all fucking politics.

Basically, it's like those terrible bike design concepts that are shat out by some clueless industrial design students every other month and are immediately praised by people who know nothing about bikes. Except in this case they actually threw a huge pile of money at it until it barely worked.

its like the story of delorean but with bikes

These are both class.

That's a Itera. It's so notorious here in Sweden that it's pretty hard to study engineering or industrial design without reading something about it.

It's a plastic bike 20 years ahead of its time. Basically in 1980 a couple of Volvo engineers in Gothenburg thought they could make a bike in plastic. The bike was hailed as the next big thing in Swedish design by the industrial design establishment who were (and still are might I add) completely clueless when it comes to bikes, won a few prizes. They received a lot media coverage, and they got massive government grants to manufacture the bike in the north of Sweden, so as to generate employment opportunities in rural communities. It was all politics.

The bikes themselves were terrible of course, even the "super light" racing model weighed something like 19kg and was more flexible than an Eastern European gymnast, and only gets flexier as the weather becomes warmer. Not to worry though, the plastic gets harder when exposed to UV radiation in sunlight, and after a few months parked outside would become brittle. Pretty much nothing on the thing used bike industry standards (probably because the designers knew nothing about them), everything was proprietary. Even the tools included with the bikes were proprietary. The final product came out IIRC in early 1982, and the company folded in late 1982. The Swedish government invested a lot of money in the project, and to save face they took over the company and ran it till about the mid-1980s. It was all fucking politics.

Basically, it's like those terrible bike design concepts that are shat out by some clueless industrial design students every other month and are immediately praised by people who know nothing about bikes. Except in this case they actually threw a huge pile of money at it until it barely worked.

That is fascinating stuff! Thanks.

Found some more (less colourful) info here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_bicycle

That is fascinating stuff! Thanks.

Found some more (less colourful) info here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_bicycle

Hahaha, I didn't know the grant was to the tune of 6 million SEK. That's a LOT of money in 1980's, pre-inflation Swedish Kronor.

These are both class.

Why do you hate me so?
But serious, the muddy ninja is amazing. Looks god awful though, so it belongs here.

you do know thats not a real bike, right?

Whoever owns that Roberts that's often parked outside Wahaca on Wardour Street is a puppy killer. Seriously; mismatched wheels, plastic pedals and only a front brake on such a lovely road frame?
Also, get some bar tape.

Secondly, WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS

I AM SCARED AND ALONE SOMEBODY HOLD ME

I'm alright with those tbf... Old concept bori(ng)s bikes, that's all there is to it.

This however....
Owner must be fucken angry, I mean even the handlebars are sad.

There's no reason for that^.

None whatsoever.

I think the internet has ruined bikes.

Kids see their fixie heroes with untaped bars and tri-spokes and arse cannons, and then they build something like that PCO PRO.

Aso, are the forks on backwards, or are the decals just shit?

you do know thats not a real bike, right?

... you what

Decent looking helmet mind, bar the massive visor...

thats olympic mascot render.
putting it in porn/anti porn category is..

lets say peculiar.