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It is common knowledge that Amsterdam is the cycling capital of Europe, but it may come as a surprise to learn that the first Dutch bicycle factory was opened in 1870, with up to 20,000 bicycles produced in The Netherlands every year by the start of the 20th century. In 2016, however, no bicycles from large manufacturers are currently being produced in the country, as this process has been moved overseas to cut costs. Mokumono aims to change this and to restore The Netherlands’ past to its former glory by bringing back production within the country’s borders.
The main feature of the bike is the monocoque frame, made from two aluminum parts which are welded together using a laser.
The bike started as a degree project at the Design Academy Eindhoven and evolved as Bob Schiller teamed up with his twin brother to take the project further. The main feature of the bike is the monocoque frame, made from two aluminum parts which are welded together using a laser. This stage can be fully automated to lower the costs significantly, allowing production to be completed locally in a similar way to how it is already done in the auto industry in Europe. The resulting bike frame is just as strong, lightweight, and stiff as a traditional design. The head tube, bottom bracket shell and dropouts are made separately, in order to allow easy adaptation to trends and new techniques. Other innovative features include hidden brake cables to prolong their durability and a Gates Carbon belt drive system that is grease-free and made of carbon fiber, requiring little to no maintenance. For optimum performance, the bike also features Shimano 105 grade hydraulic flat mount road disk brakes, 32mm wide Continental Grand Prix 4-Season tires which are handmade in Germany, and an optional Shimano Alfine 8-speed hub. The original Mokumono is gloss white, but other color options will include matte black, metallic blue and metallic red, with all models boasting a gloss black seat tube. The bikes come in three stack heights, to suit almost any rider, and will be backed by a substantial 5 year warranty, guaranteeing both the high quality of the components and the high standard of workmanship. If you want to be one of the first people to ride a Mokumono, you can back up the campaign on the Kickstarter page and enjoy the lower ‘backer’ prices at the same time. The first range of bicycles will be delivered by November 2016, throughout the world. Images courtesy of Mokumono.
