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Foxbone Hybrid Tandem Bike Seeks To Be a Real Machine With Award-Winning Design

Tandem bikes are great and all, but they seem to be lacking a certain something to bring them into a more modern age. Designer Sinan Anayurt takes a crack at this seemingly fossilized design and prepares it for the modern age.
Foxbone Hybrid Tandem Bicycle 7 photos
Photo: Sinan Anayurt
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However, Foxbone, the contraption you see in the gallery, is more of an amalgam of different cycle designs all spun up into a machine that frankly, if available for purchase tomorrow, it wouldn't be long before it would sell out. Time to find out why, but before we do, it should help to know a bit about the mind behind this project.

Sinan Anayurt is a designer from Istanbul, Turkey, and while his Behance page seems to showcase only a few of the works he's done, his ideas encompass a wide range of applications. From digital planters that can change the flowers you're seeing to sound-absorbing panels designed for in-home studios, he seems to do it all.

Foxbone, on the other hand, is Anayurt's "first bicycle design attempt." Yet, it ended up being entered in the 20th International Bicycle Design Competition and received the Silver Award.

Foxbone Hybrid Tandem Bicycle
Photo: Sinan Anayurt
Now, I'm sure you've noticed that Foxbone looks like it's made up of a few different known bicycle designs. The first style you may witness is a tandem bike; Foxbone is meant to be ridden by two people.

The rear of the concept features a classic tandem setup with a handlebar that doesn't direct anything and pedals that affect the drivetrain. In the case of Foxbone, the bike is also meant to be electric, and it's the rear rider that has control over the drivetrain.

The second style that made its way into the frame is that of a recumbent bike. These bikes are designed for comfort and long journeys because of the way a rider is seated, as if in a lounge chair with pedals out in front.

The front half of the bike is infused with this style, and a pair of handlebars are used to steer two front wheels. Pedals are in place here but don't seem to be electrified in any way.

Foxbone Hybrid Tandem Bicycle
Photo: Sinan Anayurt
By blending these two different bicycle styles into one smooth machine, the rider in front will no longer be obscuring the rear occupant's vision, and communication also seems a tad easier.

I mentioned earlier that Foxbone is an EV, so a battery is undoubtedly integrated into the frame and powers the motor. The question is, can you find it? If you can't, it's mounted right behind the lead rider and features an easy-to-carry design. There's no mention of how much power it'll carry, but it's supposedly good for an extra 45 km (28 miles) of juice.

This story doesn't end here either; a few extras are in store. One system that Anayurt decided to include on Foxbone is a suspension system. Not only is there a rear suspension that looks ripped right off an MTB, but at the front of the concept, another shock is set horizontally between the front wheels.

Foxbone Hybrid Tandem Bicycle
Photo: Sinan Anayurt
I'll be honest; it took me a second or two to figure out how or why this shock is set up the way it is. But, looking at the arms that break away from the frame and attach to the wheels, you'll notice they're set up very similarly to a rear suspension based around a single pivot.

However, the neat thing and something that may need to be tested is that the shock is held in place and compressed by each individual arm. I'm curious as to how this system fairs against bumpy terrains.

The last ability that Foxbone displays is of being able to carry cargo and features a rear rack that looks like it'll shift around as the rear suspension takes hits.

As for myself, if I saw someone riding something like this around town, not only would I stop to take a picture, but I would even go as far as asking where I could find one and for how much. I wonder if we'll ever get to see Foxbone on actual streets.
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About the author: Cristian Curmei
Cristian Curmei profile photo

A bit of a nomad at heart (being born in Europe and raised in several places in the USA), Cristian is enamored with travel trailers, campers and bikes. He also tests and writes about urban means of transportation like scooters, mopeds and e-bikes (when he's not busy hosting our video stories and guides).
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