Silas Beebe (left) and Rob Tsunehiro; photo courtesy of Oregon Manifest
At risk of beating the topic to death, at least one of the 33 entries in the 2011 Oregon Manifest has a portfolio on Coroflot, and it just happens to be second place winner Silas Beebe, who collaborated with framebuilder Rob Tsunehiro on a refined city bike with Portland flavor.
The freelance Senior Industrial Designer explains his background and inspiration:
As a fifth generation Oregonian, I want to make this bike a tribute to the importance of local craft and practicality.I want to use Oregon materials as much as possible: local leather; Douglas Fir, the Oregon state tree, from family timber land; components from local companies like Blaq Bags and Chris King; and, of course, the design and build talent of our team.
Café Classic Ideation: This design combines some of the best features of both classic American cruisers and European city bikes, but improves upon them with thoughtful and practical integration of cargo and passenger capacity.
From a purely aesthetic perspective, the bike simply has classic lines and details alongside upscale upholstery; the custom reflective paint has a practical purpose as well.
