Cool Hunting

When Puma recently sent us one of their Vexed Generation and Biomega-designed eight-speed urban mobility bicycles, we thought we'd do a little something special with it. We tasked in-house creative Seth Brau with customizing the bike and he went at it, covering the bike with shapes and patterns in a scheme of primary colors. The upshot is a little tribal, a little crazy and totally Seth Brau. Professionally clear-coated, the artwork will last through all your sweet jumps and epic rides. We decided to auction off the bike and donate all the proceeds (it retails for $1,600) to a worthwhile bicycle-related charity, World Bicycle Relief. Head over to eBay and start bidding on this one-of-a-kind bicycle. (See more images after the jump.

With the "quintessential Puma characteristics of fun and functionality," the bike has an eight-speed internal Shimano hub, integrated wire lock system, twin disc brakes and semi-fold design. It's versatile and has a unique frame design, setting new standards for city travel. The internal low-maintenance Shimano hub makes shifting between gears smoothly and seamlessly, allowing cyclists to climb hills or valleys with ease. This element makes the transition from city to countryside seamless with a simple flick of the thumb.

The bike also features chunky tires and a quick, easy and smart semi-folding mechanism that promises maximum convenience. This easy-folding design makes the bike a perfect travel companion featuring all the benefits of a folding bike without compromising the style or structure. Additional features are found all over the bike.

Twin-disc brakes stop the bike before something else does, providing the ultimate braking power in stop-and-go city traffic. A stylish and lightweight luggage rack holds up to 12kg (26 lbs) of cargo—perfect for transporting your essentials throughout the city. The Puma is also equipped with an integrated wire lock system that's virtually theft-proof. If stolen and ridden without the wire, the loyal bike will self-destruct.

World Bicycle Relief provides people in developing nations and disaster relief situations with access to independence and livelihood through the power of bicycles. They provide culturally appropriate, new bicycles to areas of the world in need where bicycles can really improve the quality of life. These bikes provide access to schools, goods and services including water, food, medicine, hygiene, clothing and tools. They help connect them to health care, education and economic development opportunities.

Simple, sustainable transportation is an essential element in disaster assistance and poverty relief and bicycles fulfill basic transportation needs by immediately providing access to health care, education and economic development. World Bicycle Relief is also constantly working with manufacturers to improve existing designs, sourcing locally as much as possible, at the very least including assembly and coordinated distribution.

Not only do they provide bicycles to areas where they are much needed and valuable to the way of life but they include comprehensive training on bicycle maintenance, enabling communities to continually maintain their new life-improving bicycles. What's more, World Bicycle Relief isn't just about the bikes; they also teach important life skills and disease prevention education to entire communities.