Gold Vehicle, Mobility and Transportation Design · 2022
Superstrata Bike and Ebike
by Arevo
- A' Design Award 2022 Gold Winner in Vehicle, Mobility and Transportation Design
- Awarded April 15, 2022
- CLIENT: Superstrata
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 113,662
- Verification code CCAA45B5F6 · Verify this award
About Superstrata Bike and Ebike
Superstrata is a bicycle offered in both pedal-powered and electric versions. The Superstrata frame is 3D printed in a single pass from thermoplastic carbon fiber composite, forming a unibody structure with no joints or bolts. This construction increases strength and gives the frame a smooth appearance. The frame has no seat tube, and the electric version holds the battery inside a tube. Each frame is printed to the body measurements of the owner, including height, inseam and wingspan, so riders of many sizes can be fitted.
Arevo's Superstrata Bike and Ebike represents a watershed moment in transportation design where additive manufacturing technologies converge with carbon fiber engineering to produce what may be understood as the first truly mass-customizable unibody bicycle frame in production history. The work presented here operates within the tradition of product photography that situates designed objects against architecturally significant backdrops, creating visual dialogues between industrial design achievement and spatial artistry that mutually enhance interpretation of both elements. The continuous thermoplastic carbon fiber construction eliminates traditional tube-to-tube joints, brackets, and welds, resulting in a structural topology that distributes stress loads through organic curves rather than discrete connection points, an approach that simultaneously reduces weight while increasing torsional rigidity. The formal vocabulary speaks to broader movements in contemporary design thinking where computational optimization generates forms that human designers might never conceive independently, yet which achieve remarkable aesthetic coherence through their functional logic. The matte surface treatment absorbs rather than reflects light, creating a presence that reads as simultaneously solid and ethereal, substantial yet somehow weightless. Positioned against the biomorphic concrete architecture, the bicycle participates in a visual conversation about organic form-making at different scales and in different material systems. The drop handlebar configuration and aggressive frame geometry signal performance orientation, inviting consideration of how aesthetic choices in transportation design communicate intended use, user identity, and cultural values around mobility, fitness, and environmental consciousness. What might viewers discover when contemplating the relationship between the manufactured precision of the bicycle and the cast organic forms of its architectural context?
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- Superstrata features an unconventional, no seat tube design and an in tube battery (in the ebike version) for a sleek, aerodynamic ride. The Superstrata frame is crafted via unibody construction, 3D printed in a single pass from carbon fiber thermoplastic composite, and free of joints or bolts of any kind, a global first. This improves not only the strength but also the aesthetic of the bike. Because the frame is 3D printed, each can be customized based on the body measurements of the owner.
- Tags
- Bicycle, ebike, carbon fiber, 3D printing, unibody
- Production Technology
- Superstrata’s frame is 3D printed from thermoplastic carbon fiber composite using a patented process. Our proprietary software engineers the directionality of carbon fibers before a robot arm bonds them together with melting polymer to create a strong, streamlined, unibody structure free of joints or bolts. This process enables a bicycle frame with an unconventional, no seat tube design that remains highly impact resistant.
- Design Challenge
- Every part of the Superstrata frame has its own geometry and load scenarios, and its composite parts will have their own optimum positioning of carbon fibers to meet these requirements. Realizing this unconventional, no seat tube design with elegant curves that maintains strength and stiffness took us nearly four years, countless iterations, and ten distinct versions.
- Project Duration
- Superstrata was launched in a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo in July of 2020 with 7 million USD raised from over 4000 backers. It was developed and designed at Arevo’s R&D offices in Silicon Valley and manufactured in mass scale at the company’s 3D printing farm in Vietnam. Superstrata was exhibited at the tech conference, Web Summit 2021, the frontier materials forum, PuzzleX 2021, and the Consumer Electronics Show CES 2022.
- Operation Flow
- Each Superstrata frame is 3D printed based on its owner’s body measurements (height, inseam, ankle height, knee height, and wingspan), thereby accommodating riders from 4'7 to 7’4. Superstrata’s components and colors are also customizable, enabling total possible combinations of more than 500,000. Superstrata comes with both multi speed version and single speed version (Superstrata Solo).
- Research
- Since their invention in the 19th century, bicycles have remained popular as their makers have continued to look for innovations in bike designs. In recent years, carbon fiber has become the ideal material for bicycles due to its simultaneous and contradictory stiffness and lightness. By employing next generation thermoplastic carbon fiber composite and 3D printing technology, Superstrata pushes the boundaries of what a carbon fiber bike can offer through its eye catching design and unprecedented customization capability.
- Inspiration
- Carbon fiber frames have long been the premium choice of avid cyclists. Yet the thermoset carbon fiber composite and molded manufacturing processes used in traditional carbon fiber bikes are costly and limited in terms of customization. By employing thermoplastic carbon fiber composite and proprietary 3D printing technology, Superstrata realizes an eye catching, no seat tube design with unprecedented potential for customization and personalization.
Colors of Superstrata Bike and Ebike
Get Superstrata Bike and Ebike
Custom Carbon Fiber 3D Printing Manufacturing Services
We transform your innovative designs into reality through advanced carbon fiber 3D printing. Our proprietary technology enables complex geometries, customization at scale, and ultrastrong lightweight parts that traditional manufacturing cannot achieve.
G0E3 Shop