Puma/Vexed Urban Mobility Range (a) Urban Mobility apparel collections x 3 (b) Puma/Vexed/Biomega tri-branded accessories collection and (c) a similarly tri-branded Puma Bike

Manufacturer: Biomega

The Puma bike was designed as part of the ‘Urban Mobility’ concept to compliment the ‘Urban Mobility’ collection created (with Hunter 50/50) for Puma International AG. The styling of the product reflects Puma’s BMX heritage. The bike was conceived (with Hunter 33% and Skibsted 33%) specifically for urban use, and design-engineered by Jens Martin Skibsted of Biomega AG. The bike’s folding mechanism acknowledges the limited storage space in urban residential and work environments.

The design applied three year’s research into bike theft, conducted within the Centre for Design Against Crime (CDAC), recently published as the Holborn Gateway Project 2007 and in the ‘COPS Report 2007’. This research identified cycle theft as a key design driver for urban cycle design and catalysed the concept and design (with Hunter 33% and Skibsted 33%) of the Puma bike’s integrated lock. I also applied this research to the design of six new cycle stands licensed to Broxap for commercial production.

Dutch bikes feature wheel locks that can be removed or broken without damage to the bike itself. Uniquely, the Puma bike lock is integrated as a structural element of the bike frame; if removed or broken the bike’s appearance and functioning is compromised. The design embodies a generic design against crime principle known as ‘spoiling’; the object is ‘spoiled’ as it is stolen, removing or reducing its value and therefore deterring theft.

The bike was exhibited at MoMA in New York in 2005 and acquired for their permanent collection, and also that of MoMA in San Francisco, in 2006. It has been distributed globally and continues to be promoted at international crime prevention events as an exemplar of how research into DAC can inspire design innovation. Recently the Puma bike featured in Design Week (2007) as part of the Home Office’s latest DAC promotion.