Ive decided to use this opportunity to upcycle one of the many unused bikes in my garage. I live in a house with 6 other student roommates and some have a knack for collecting vintage bicycles to resell, however, some haven’t left. I plan to use some of these to make a stool. There’s this super vintage leather seat that sticks out from the others. I plan to use this as the base of the project, using other spare bike parts to form the 3 legs that will eventually hold the stool up.
bikeretrogrouch, 2014
My basis for this project was the ‘bicycle boom’ of the 20th century that lasted from the 1970s to the mid-1980s. Because of this rise in popularity, large amounts of vintage bikes were created and sold in mass. These bikes were simply 1-speed cruisers, which had flashy bright colors and paint designs that mirrored many of the flashy colors of the 1970s. I plan to model this bike seat stool after that time period, giving it those same colors that can be seen in so many bikes still found in circulation today.
The Guardian, 2017
My plan for this project is to salvage an already existing bike frame, hopefully, one that matches the size of the before-mentioned leather seat, and by using the shaft where the seat is plunged into as a base. Then with 3 similarly sized tubes from the bike frame, form the three legs of the stool. either by welding or fixing them to the center shaft in some other, mechanical way.
Curbed, 2017
2 Comments. Leave new
I love that you introduced the history of the bicycle boom of the 70’s, something I had no idea about. Also, I am super intrigued to see what your bicycle stool will end up looking like as its so creative. Furthermore, however it turns out, I think it will follow your bicycle boom aesthetic! I was wondering if you could maybe add a sketch or show a picture of the vintage seat.
This is a really unique and interesting way to recycle old bicycle parts. Have you thought about putting multiple bike seats together in some way to increase the surface area of the seat of the stool? As a user, sitting on a singular bike seat seems like it would be uncomfortable after a length of time; however, this might be the perfect seat for a guest who has overstayed their welcome. I think this project has a lot of merit and I hope it turns out as you envision.