words Anna Bates
Two tubes rather than the usual four make up the structure of this city bike by Italian designer Fabio Bortolani.
“It looks like it’s gravity defying, but when you sit on it it feels very normal,” says Bortolani, who collaborated with engineer Ermanno Righi. He wanted it to have the chunky aesthetic of a mountain bike but without the heaviness, so stainless steel tubes with a thin outer shell (more commonly used to make motorbike exhaust pipes) were used.
The handlebars, wheels, and saddle are all standard – making the frame seem all the more abstract. “This is a bike that you ride to show off when you go and have coffee,” says Bortolani.
The bike is available from Milan design shop Dovetusai.
top image The horizontal tube holds the front and back lights, while the vertical tube contains a rolled-up leather carrier bag
