There is definitely a Blue Ocean for bicycle design.  The untapped market of commuter bikes for the masses is one that has thus far been seldom explored.  What would it take to get a typical short-ride commuter to switch to a bike?

The folks at Bicycle Design want to know as well.  They are sponsoring a contest to create the ultimate commuter bike.  And although not technically automotive-related, bicycle design can be incredibly creative, with little-to-no “top” to keep one from stretching their creativity.

The best part?  The prize: The winning entry receives a Cannondale Bad Boy bike.  Design a bike, win a bike.  I like the trade-off.

Full contest rules after the break (or here)

Design Brief

Do you have an idea for a bicycle that might persuade the average person, with no prior interest in cycling, to park the car and pedal to work? That is the main idea behind this competition. The scope is up to you- choose to come up with a whole new form factor for a pedal powered machine, or focus on specific details that you consider key to accomplishing the goal of getting the average non-cyclist to consider riding a bike for transportation. Don’t be constrained by products that are currently on the market, but do make sure that your concepts are based in reality (don’t break the laws of physics, etc) and that they are manufacturable using existing technology. All concepts submitted will be considered, so be creative and have fun.

A jury of 6 industrial designers and 1 journalist will review and discuss the submissions to choose a winner. The jury will be looking for creative and sound concepts that are clearly defined, original, and innovative. Presentation counts too, so do your best to sell us on your concept.

Entry Requirements

Create and submit two jpeg presentation layouts, horizontal format at a size of 800 x 600 pixels (at 72 dpi). Higher resolution files may be requested if you are chosen as a finalist.

• The first image board should show development sketches, drawings, support images etc.
• The second image board should primarily show a final rendering or prototype photo.
• Write a short description of your concept in English- 200 words max (save as a .doc file or include in the body of your email)

In addition to the 200-word explanation, you may also include text/ notes in the composition of your images to clarify the details of your design. Keep in mind that the images will be sized for the web if posted; so make sure any text on the images is large enough to be legible.

Send the 2 jpegs and description in an email to bicycledesigncontest@gmail.com with “Commuter bike competition entry” in the subject line.

The deadline for entries will be Friday, December 5th, 2008 at 11:59pm Eastern Standard time.

Prize

1 Grand Prize, a Cannondale Bad Boy bicycle valued at around 1,000 U.S. dollars, will be shipped directly to the winner from Cannondale.

Note: If the winner is in the U.S., the prize will be the Cannondale Bad Boy Disc model. For the rest of the world, it will be the Cannondale Bad Boy 700 (European version)

Jury

The winning design will be chosen from all submitted entries by a jury that will include:

• James Thomas (me)- Industrial Designer and the blogger here at Bicycle Design
• Torgny Fjeldskaar- Director of Industrial Design & Advanced Products Division at Cannondale Bicycle Corporation
• Mark Sanders- Principal of MAS Design Products Ltd and designer of the Strida and IF Bikes
• Steve Zwonitzer- Principal/Founder of Propane Creative; a strategic brand + product design consultancy
• Agnete Enga- Senior Industrial Designer, Smart Design/ Femme Den, NYC
• Michael Illukiewicz -Automotive designer
• Carlton Reid- Editor at BikeBiz, Quickrelease.tv, Bikeforall.net, and BiketoWorkBook.com

Rights

Intellectual property rights will remain with the designer, but by participating in the competition, you agree to allow your design to possibly be posted at bicycledesign.blogspot.com, and therefore made public. The jury will review all entries received and the winner will be announced on the blog after the contest closes. After the contest closes, the decision of the jury will be final.

Eligibility and requirements

This competition is open to anyone18 years of age and up, worldwide. Needless to say, I am not eligible to enter and neither are the other jurors or employees of Cannondale.

All submissions must be original work by the designer, created for this competition, and not currently in production. Do not submit any images that contain reproduced or copyrighted work. No brand names should be visible in your images. Submissions with logos or copyrighted artwork will be disqualified.

Remember, the competition closes on December 5th, so get to work and have fun with it. Good luck to all of you; I can’t wait to see the ideas that you come up with.