You’ve got to give kudos to anyone that tries to break the bicycle out of its traditional double-triangle diamond frame design. It may be considered the optimum layout, but that’s no reason not to explore other options. Leave it to RUPHUS, an interior/product design studio from that epicentre of American bicycle culture, Portland, to create a feasible, eye-pleasing and alternate frame out of wood, no less.
Matt Raphael has been designing and building homes that utilise natural materials in the Portland area for over 20 years. RUPHUS is smaller-scale extension of his ethos, which includes within its catalog a range of wooden iPod docks and bicycle accessories. A complete bicycle was a natural progression, but as thinking outside the box is Matt’s specialty, he had to design something entirely different.
The Woodsman’s frame is half skateboard: 11 layers of Canadian Maple is laminated with carbon fibre, so it’s possible to vary the ‘pop’. A removable glovebox was designed to fit underneath the top spar and a 2-speed, automatically-shifting rear hub and coaster brake was used. The integrated rear fender is made from walnut, resulting in a tasty and tidy urban transport solution.
Read more on the RUPHUS website. Special thanks to Heath Korvola for the photos.
