Velo City: Bicycle Culture and City Life

Shape Field Bike

Shape Field Bike

Shape Field Office is a fresh industrial and graphic design studio in San Francisco, whose latest addition to their brand identity is this superb porteur. Shape Field Office is the husband and wife team of Karson and Mary Shadley, two highly accredited designers in their own rights.

Karson lectures in the Industrial Design department at the California College of the Arts alongside Nicholas Riddle, who runs the urban mobility program. Moving in those kind of circles, it’s no surprise that Nicholas has dabbled in the art of frame building, with a very clean single speed, belt-driven road bike already in his portfolio. Nicholas was contracted to build the Shape Field Bike, a Columbus SL frame with geometry based on Karson’s beloved 1978 Cinelli Supercorsa.

The front rack, capable of carrying up to 80lbs, is removable and caters for both a Topo Designs backpack and a Rivendell basket for trips to the Grower’s Market. Nicholas designed the frame around Honjo fenders and Paul Components brake calipers, resulting in a tight and responsive ride. Philadelphia’s Revolution Cycle Jewelry created a custom head badge, while Future Cities Lab, experimental designers and researchers, produced the laser–etched Eastern Walnut signage panel.

See more work by Shape Field Office on their website. Big thanks to Curtis Myers for the photography.

Shape Field Bike
Shape Field Bike
Shape Field Bike
Shape Field Bike
Shape Field Bike
Shape Field Bike
Shape Field Bike