Giant came to us with a clear brief: speed and simplicity. What interested us about the project from the outset was that they specifically wanted someone with no previous bicycle experience, so that we could bring a genuinely fresh perspective to the industry. Working closely with the Giant design team throughout the process, we approached the Cityspeed as we would any other product, asking what the object truly needed and stripping everything else away. The most significant decision was to integrate the LED headlights and tail lights directly into the frame, freeing up the handlebars entirely and eliminating the unsightly cabling that had always cluttered city bikes. The frame, stem and handlebars were designed as a single coordinated unit, each component considered in relation to the others. The Cityspeed was awarded a Gold Medal by an international panel of experts at Eurobike in Friedrichshafen, Germany, and was also featured in the design display at the Taipei Eurobike Show. It went on to spawn a second generation, the CitySpeed CS, released in 2012.
Further Reading
Dezeen
https://www.dezeen.com/2008/08/15/cityspeed-by-michael-young/
Designboom
https://www.designboom.com/design/latest-projects-by-michael-young/
Retail Design Blog
https://retaildesignblog.net/2014/03/22/giant-cityspeed-bicycle-by-michael-young/
