Seven Standout Bikes

by Karen Day

As cycling enthusiasts we always appreciate a great high-performance bike, but naturally we're always on the lookout for a clean design aesthetic too. What follows is an assortment of the models that recently caught our eye and satisfied our penchant for well-built bikes. Stay tuned for a feature on hand-built and custom options later this week.

PK Ripper Fixed Gear
Fixed-gear fans, your heart's all aflutter for good reason. DC Shoes and SE Racing's just-released PK Ripper Fixed Gear bike features several aspects from SE Racing's seminal PK Ripper BMX, but with a ride more suited to chaotic streets than competitive dirt tracks. The partnership between the two companies isn't actually new; their history goes back to 2007, when they put heads together to re-release the original PK Ripper bike in homage to 30 years of BMX history.

Named after Perry Kramer, a pro racer active in the '70s who co-founded SE Racing in '77, the bike's aluminum frame—rare for that type of bike in those days—caused a sensation because it was the first of its kind in the sport.

In its latest incarnation the 24-inch Ripper features Floval tubing, a Looptail rear-end and Landing Gear fork. It comes in the same two colors as its progenitor, Matte Black and Ball Burnished, and in a variety of sizes from 47-61 centimeters. Only 2,500 are available (check your local indie bike shop) and they retail for $1,000.
—Phuong-Cac Nguyen

BauBike
BauBike's geometric shape and straightforward design cut a profile as clear as the cultural movement from which it draws. Danish designer Michael Ubbesen Jakobsen sees its raw form as a symbol of the bike's fundamental nature as an object of design. Contact Jakobsen through his site for pricing and availability.

Veloheld Path
Eliminating oil and grease, Veloheld's Path uses a belt drive system in place of a chain. A universal city bike, the light and limber Path makes quick reactions easy. (Pictured above left, click image for detail.) Buy the Path from Veloheld starting at €1,350.

Jango
Built for multi-activity function, Jango bikes use a plug-and-play system, going from commuter to off road with a simple change-up of accessories, of which they offer many. (Pictured above right.) Stylish and user-friendly, riding the utility bike over the past few months, I've found it to be perfect for everyday use. Check the Jango site for a list of distributors.

Linus Dutchi
Simple, classy and relatively inexpensive, French bicycles from the '50s inspired the design of Linus bikes. Meant for cruising, the three-speed Dutchi model (above left) provides ultimate comfort while riding around town on its retro frame. At $408 it's one of the more affordable options too. Contact Linus directly through their site to order.

Cannondale Capo
Seemingly a standard fixed-gear bike, the Cannondale Capo stands out for its simplicity. Easily disassembled and repaired with only a few tools, the Capo hardly needs any maintenance in the first place (pictured above left). The Capo runs $940 from Cannondale.

GT Gutterball
Similarly on point, the GT Gutterball's unique frame shape forces a slightly more upright posture, which—when combined with its extreme lightness—makes it great for city maneuvers (above right). It's $770 from GT.

Social Suicide Pop-Up Shop

by Karen Day

Purveyor of provocative suiting Social Suicide brings their refined tailoring to NYC's Lower East Side, opening tomorrow alongside fellow innovative designers for the "Wish You Were Here" boutique swap.

Taking up residence for just under a month (see details below), Social Suicide represents Carnaby's Newburgh Quarter in the transatlantic exchange of independent boutiques taking place between the two Bohemian neighborhoods.

While most labels are offering up the goods from their Autumn/Winter collections, the irreverent duo behind Social Suicide knows their AW09 collection "would be just too damn woolly and hot."

Instead, complementing NYC's summer heat, their current summer collection aptly entitled The Beaufort Scale—steps in with a brilliant mix of colors and fabrics reflecting the season's meteorological conditions.

While the temporary LES boutique only houses their clever menswear, they will finally include the ladies this year, reworking their classic looks to fit a woman's shape and style—and making the pop-up the perfect opportunity for women to familiarize themselves with the label.

For more on the brand and its irreverent designers, check out the Cool Hunting video.

Social Suicide Pop-Up Shop
20 August-13 September 2009
86 Orchard Street
New York, NY 10002 map

Porsche Panamera

by CH Contributor

by Tamara Warren

Porsche's new four-door Zentrum made for a flash of contemporary zing in contrast to the vintage cars on display at the Pebble Beach Concourse D'elegance earlier this month. As the feature marquee at the annual classic car show, car enthusiasts could test drive the new 2010 Porsche Panamera, the German automaker’s only four-door sedan.

Porsche design chief Michael Mauer explained that, unlike most cars on the market today, he hand-sculpted the Panamera. “The surface treatment of Porsche is hard to do on the computer, because the surface is concave. I need a physical clay model,” Mauer said. “The car is wide and low, which is perfect for design. We have more dramatic proportions than the 911.” With three models ranging from the powerful 400 hp S to the 500 hp Turbo, the Panamera’s confident performance caused quite a stir among the 1,000 invited Pebble Beach attendees.

Making the Zentrum experience more inventive than that average test drive, guests were treated to an in-depth two-hour custom process. Working with on-hand consultants to choose from 40 fittings, the event mimics the level of personal attention Porsche is implementing at its headquarters and dealerships.

The base price on the Panamera comes in at $89,800, the 4S at $93,800 and the Turbo goes for $132,600, arriving in dealerships this October.

Design Event 2009: The Democracy Exhibit

by Bailee Wolfson

Design Event, the North East, U.K.'s annual design festival named their new graphic design exhibition "Democracy," applying the concept thematically as well as in a curatorial sense. With the goal of making the entire exhibition democratic, artists and designers will submit their own interpretation of Democracy to the website CreateDemocracy. The public will then vote their favorites (see examples below) into the festival showcase. Organizers encourage artists to promote their works globally using the Internet's democratic platforms like Facebook, forums or blogs.

With no curators involved, everyone has a fair chance of getting their work in the final exhibit, which will be constantly changing based on ongoing voting. The deadline for submissions is 30 September 2009.

Design Event 2009 takes place 16-25 October 2009 in Newcastle upon Tyne in the U.K.

Yazbukey Jewelry Autumn/Winter 2010

by Karen Day

Stringing plexiglass faces on shoelaces, Ottoman princesses and designers Yazbukey use lowbrow materials to take on some of pop culture's most famous silhouettes, forming outrageous statement necklaces and brooches. Having worked with similarly innovative designers including Martin Margiela, Christian Lacroix and Jeremy Scott, the absurdist pair call Paris their home base.

Previously choosing iconic figures such as Billy Idol (above left) and Michael Jackson for their homages, the two sisters continue to express their musical interest with mysterious French singer and "love guru" Sébastien Tellier as their muse for the Autumn/Winter 2010 collection (above right).

The upshot is a simple look with complex detailing—a playful collection that channels a "Crystal Age" feeling. For those in search of a retro-futurist look, accessories such as a Rosie the Riveter-style turban pinned with a Star Trek-inspired brooch will do the trick.

Pick up the line created by designers as eminent as the characters they showcase (maybe not the Obama necklace) online from Colette or at the Order & Progress shop in Melbourne starting at about €50.