The Lancia MomoDesign Urban Bike
We hear it was a passion for motor racing that led Gianpiero Moretti, the former race driver to found the design company Momo to market his steering wheel he'd used to win the '64 Formula 1 World Championship. His success in marketing a steering wheel led him to think he was good at designing other stuff using race-inspired themes. Thus was born MomoDesign — a company fulfilling the needs of men like "Maximum" Bob Lutz for high-end luxe fighter jet helmets as well as wrist watches and leather motorcycle jackets for Euro-trash d-bags. The latest partnership for Moretti's designing machine is with the little Fiat-owned Italian automaker Lancia, first working on the MomoDesign Ypsilon Sport, and now it's for — cue the drum roll — a bicycle! It's called the Urban Bike — and umm, it's a nice looking limited and numbered series bike with a full carbon handlebar and Shimano 8-speed gearbox. Full press release on the bike filled with the all-Italian all-French taste for 'savoir vivre' after the jump. Also, Momo's website claims some connection to the new Transformers movie, but for the life of us we can't figure out what that connection is.
Lancia MomoDesign Urban Bike: the first two-wheel Lancia cabrio
The Lancia MomoDesign Urban Bike, a hypertechnological bicycle, is a product of the rewarding, ongoing, partnership between Lancia and MomoDesign. Constructed in a limited, numbered series, the new two-wheeler stands out for its beautifully refined design, high technology, and attention to detail with everything at the service of the utmost comfort. These are the winning features that have always been part of Lancia cars, as can be seen in the MomoDesign Ypsilon Sport, the new twin soul (dynamic look and innate elegance) version which further enhances the range in the eyes of the younger clientele, always on the lookout for a sports vehicle at an accessible price.
An expression of the all-Italian taste for style and 'savoir vivre', the new Lancia MomoDesign Urban Bike is distinguished by the quality of its materials and the technological solutions adopted. For each component the aim of the material adopted was to guarantee maximum lightness combined with best performance. For example, the carbon fibre used for the monocoque (is the lightest technology available for building sturdy structures) with titanium reinforcements, a light, strong material that is compatible with carbon. The fork, handlebar, seatpost, mudguard and pannier are also in carbon fibre. And again with lightness in mind, magnesium (a compound also used in Formula 1 and in racing motorbikes) has been used for the pedals and aluminium for the wheel rims and flat spokes: the best solution because it does not rust. Finally, prestigious Frau leather lines the saddle and grips.
The new Lancia MomoDesign Urban Bike embraces the best technology available in the sector. For example, the rear eight-speed gearbox tucked invisibly away inside the rear wheel hub offers maximum versatility whether riding on the flat and on the steepest climbs. And again: the belt (not chain) transmission not only makes pedalling smoother and more comfortable, but it does not dirty the way normal transmission chains do, so making it possible to use the bike dressed for the office. Finally, the frame with its bow shapes which are highly effective in soaking up roughness in the terrain and the wide section tyres, guarantee greater safety on uneven roads, making dampers and suspensions superfluous.
Spec Sheet
Frame: Full Carbon monocoque with titanium reinforcements
Fork : Carbon with aluminiuim head tube
Steering series: integral with the 1.1/8 inch headset with FSA bearings
Handlebar: Full Carbon
Transmission: pulleys and toothed belt
Brakes: Shimano disc 160 mm front and rear with mechanical calliper control
Gearbox: Shimano 8 speed inside the rear hub
Saddle: San Marco
Seatpost: carbon tube with saddle support head in aluminium
Tyres : Maxxis Xenith 26 x 1.50 slick
Wheels: Shimano hubs with aluminium rims and flat spokes
Pedals: magnesium anti-slip
Sizes: M
Weight: 10,900 kg
Related:
Go, Go, Mister Show! Group Wants to Shut Down Chicago Auto Show; Not Deckchair, Dekochari!; Opel Antara Flexes That Ass: Saturn's New Vue-To-Be Sports Techie Bike Rack Goodness [internal]