On the West Coast our SaatchiLA agency posed a world-changing question ahead of the recent South by Southwest Festival: what if we make a bike inspired by the Toyota Prius (SaatchiLA has led Prius advertising in the USA since day 1). The result? The Prius X Parlee (PXP) bike. Toyota Prius Projects is an initiative developed to create conversations and advocacy within new consumer niches. Toyota has a long history of sharing their innovations to improve our way of life, and the PXP concept bike is no exception. It features eco-friendly materials, comfort, efficiency and groundbreaking technology – including a helmet that enables a cyclist to switch gears through “thought-sensitive” technology. This first-of-its-kind bicycle helmet was developed in partnership with Deeplocal, and the bicycle design was developed with Parlee. This video takes you behind the scenes during the brainstorming, development, testing and execution of the coolest bike ever made.
Meanwhile out East in New York, having a bike stolen – or ‘involuntarily downgraded’ – goes with the urban territory. For that matter, it goes with a whole bunch of territories in which a victim feels financially and morally distraught, and where the authorities will be more concerned about grand theft auto and violations of people before property.
This intriguing video provides a window into the nonchalance (or probably fear to intervene) people have when a property violation is a stranger’s problem. Carrying a lock that’s half the weight and cost of your bike is not ideal. Bike hiring or sharing is one way to go with various spinoff benefits, assuming it’s available in your neighborhood. When it comes to your own beloved bike there’s usually no easy answer. Given the global urbanization mega-trend, let the creative call go out to cities to invent, provide or share the cost-effective super solution. No doubt variations of this are already underway somewhere. Bring on the universal mass-producible viable everywhere-usable lockable magic bike stand, the invisible safely-parked bike, or its brilliant equivalent.
