A Vintage Bicycle Stool

My aesthetic for this project centers around the ‘bicycle boom’ of the 20th century that lasted from the 1970s to the mid-1980s. Because of this popularity, many 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

In the time of the ‘Bike Boom’, the environmental movement surged as concerns about pollution, urban sprawl, and oil dependency became more prominent. The Clean Air Act of the 1960s gave way to many individualistic ideas of pollution concern, forcing the average person to be more aware of their output.  Bikes, as a sustainable mode of transportation, were then seen as a direct response to these issues. The mass production and popularization of bicycles reflected a desire to find alternative ways to navigate cities without relying on cars, which were contributing to smog and congestion. This movement was also a reaction against the rapid growth of consumerism and the disposable culture that was becoming widespread.

Curbed, 2017

Most of the efforts involved in this project came from the planning and preparation leading to the actual construction of the stool. My first idea with this project is to use the vintage bicycle seat I already owned, and somehow, recycle metal parts of old bikes to create a custom metal frame the stool would sit on. Thinking more about I realized how incredibly difficult this would be. First I would need to cut through the welding of old bikes, then either bend them or weld them into shape, both of which I have no experience with, which would both require additional tools that I wouldn’t have access to, adding to an already large workload. Fortunately, I did have a lot of leftover PVC pipping from my business engineering class last semester, where we made a cooler and used PVC as the frame. While I wanted to stick true to form as much as possible with this project, I realized PVC would be my only viable option. The frame I was going for would be thin from the metal, but the PVC is bulky by comparison.

The above picture is the original tandem seat.

The bike seat, which is the focal point of this project, came from the many vintage bikes in my garage that my roommates repurpose and sell. It’s from a tandem bike from the ’70s, it has leather upholstery and a metal base plate underneath, propped up with springs, so when you put your weight on it, the seat angle adjusts to your weight.

The frame was designed with an anticipated 20-inch height center frame and 3 ‘legs’ coming out from 90 degrees from the base, using simple PVC fittings from Home Depot. The decoration could begin after the pipes were cut and glued together using a purple primer and then a specialized PVC cement. A coat of yellow spray paint was added, along with other smaller decals that were hand drawn on, such as the ‘TREK’ logo and other messages found on bikes of the time. I salvaged a water bottle holder from another road bike and attached it with black zip ties along with a spare U-lock I had.

The above pictures are of the final product

The final product is shown above. In all, I’m proud of how it came out. The warm yellow paint job came out how I was hoping, a poppy yellow color to mimic the grunge, warm color palette of the 1970s. While the water bottle holder and U lock don’t hold any practical use, I like how they draw the eye into the center of the stool and add shape to the center frame. The additional markings on the frame add to the wear and tear aesthetic of an old bike and hold meaning similar to actual markings found on bikes then and now. The TREK logo is obvious, a homage to my first road bike, a ‘700c’ marking referring to the size of road tires, and a ‘USA’ marking, meaning the bike was made in the States.

I believe the functional goal was achieved. Though I am a bit worried about being too wreckless with the stool and breaking it, it holds me and the seat is quite comfortable. Along with its functionality, I believe I achieved the aesthetic, the 70s color palette along with its similar decals, which I planned from the beginning turned out fairly accurate.

For the next steps after this project, I think it would be fun to attempt this project again. Next time, my biggest goal would be to use a metal frame, with welding, it would allow a thinner frame and add to the aesthetic as a whole. along with that, if I could rework the hand decals, I would. My own decals here were done with a sharpie and I don’t have the skill set needed to make it look professional, so If I could practice with it, with the right tools, that would be my next step.

Reid, Carlton. “Pedal-ins and car burials: what happened to America’s forgotten 1970s cycle boom?” The Guardian, 2017. https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/jun/16/pedal-ins-patchouli-bikeology-americas-forgotten-1970s-cycle-boom

Sisson, Patrick. “Bike Boom’: Lessons from the ’70s cycling craze that swept the U.S.” Curbed, 2017. https://archive.curbed.com/2017/6/28/15886810/bike-transportation-cycling-urban-design-bike-boom