The European design company has reinvented the stationary wheel. Last month, they began promoting the a training bike that doubles as art. Or, as they put it in the first sentence of their press release, “It might make you sweat, but in the best possible taste….”
That introduction may be a bit lacking, but what they're going for with the design is clear.
“Our goal was to create highly functional fitness equipment which, besides its sporting uses, will adorn any living room in the same way as an aesthetic sculpture,” says managing partner Matthis Hamann. “The objects thus combine ‘life’ and ‘style’ in the best possible sense.”
The Vela features a sleek frame, a thin wheel connected to that frame via a cable, hammerhead shaped handlebars, and lights that simulate a path under the bike. Lights are a feature the company uses to enhance its other exercise equipment. Last week, we posted a video of Lunar's Nova, a climbing wall that lights up with routes when it's on and glows softly as a neon backdrop when it's off.
If you're seeing these creations and thinking about partnering the wall with the bike to create the ultimate chic, exercise-friendly living room, there is only one design tip that seems obvious. Don't throw the Vela on carpet, no matter how tasteful you believe your sweat to be.
What do you think, is the Vela a cutting-edge design fit for your living room, or is it too much?
–Joe Spring