Budnitz Titanium Bicycles

Budnitz No. 2 Titanium

Paul Budnitz is an American original with a heck of a life story... a man of many talents: computer programmer, artist, photographer, author, clothing and footwear designer, toy designer at Kidrobot, filmmaker, and a successful entrepreneur who's founded a dozen companies in the arena of art and technology.

Paul started designing and building his own bikes in 2006.  By the time 2010 rolled around, people were stopping him in the street to ask where they could buy one. Some even asked if they could buy it from him on the spot, so with all that encouragement he founded Budnitz Bicycles in 2011 to bring his designs to market.

These bikes were born of Budnitz's desire to design and build bicycles that he would love and value... quality, durability, easy and comfortable to ride, and beautiful, too. He ended up with a bicycle he loved and rode so much that he sold his car.

To get lasting quality and durability, Budnitz bikes are constructed from titanium, stainless steel, and cro-moly. Only top-end components are used, many hand built by boutique suppliers of racing bicycle parts.

Budnitz Bicycles are expensive... $3,000 and more. But they are built to last a lifetime and more, and meant to be valued for their utility and beauty. Here are some thoughts on that subject from his Budnitz Bicycles blog:


A very good bicycle fits your body.  The geometry is well thought-out so it’s comfortable, you don’t feel like you’re going to fall off when you pedal.   It doesn’t creak or rattle.  A very good bicycle is beautiful, and it makes you feel beautiful.  It’s an extension of your body, just as the car is an extension of your body when you drive.  And a very good bicycle will last a very long time, maybe your whole life.

Check 'em out here.

    

Theo Jansen's Wind-Driven Strandbeests

One of my coworkers brought in to work today this really strange looking little plastic contraption with a propeller on it. It was a rather complicated, skeletal structure, never seen anything like it. Hit the propeller with a fan and the thing would walk across his desk. About a half dozen of us gathered around and said, That's geeky cool! It was too good to not do a post about it... (I'll try to remember to take my camera into work tomorrow and get a pic of it.) So, I asked, where do they come from, and where do I get one? He said he built it from a kit, and if I looked up "strandbeest" on YouTube I'd see the real thing in action... Here's what I found about the Strandbeests and their creator:

Theo Jansen of The Netherlands designs these awesome kinetic sculptures, these works of art that he calls "Strandbeests." In English, that is "Beach Beasts." They are entirely powered by the wind on the beach. He has been evolving their designs over a period of twenty years. Someday, he hopes to have evolved them to the point where they can roam the beaches of Holland autonomously, like living creatures.

Check out Theo's Strandbeest website. It features Strandbeest design details, videos, event dates, a webcam and more... You can even purchase and assemble your own Strandbeest from kits that he sells there. Note that the component pieces are fabricated by the Shapeways 3D printing service, a very high-tech concept in itself!
I've included a link below where you can purchase the kit that my coworker built. Also, I've included a link to Theo's book about his work, which includes a DVD.