Core77

Photo by Oregon Manifest on Instagram

The winners and runners-up—six teams in all—of the 2011 Oregon Manifest were announced on Saturday evening, following the field test, but it's worth taking a closer look at the three top spots, two runners-up and winning student entry. (The creative collaborations are being judged by the general public via online voting here.)

Shannon Holt & Jocelyn SyCip of Oregon Manifest working the crowd...

...as they eagerly anticipate the big announcement.

First of all, congratulations to all of the winners!

Frankencycle: All six winners in one...

Now let's take a look at your creations (drum roll please)...

Student Winner: University of Oregon

Photo courtesy of Oregon Manifest

The University of Oregon's team of product design students, "led by adjunct professors Christian Freissler of Ziba Design and James Molyneux of Nike's Innovation Kitchen over the course of two regular terms plus some summer weeks," eventually arrived at the "Campus Mini Velo." Notable features include: a retractable kickstand, airless tires, belt drive, a small storage locker and a cup holder.

Photo courtesy of Oregon Manifest

Nike's Tinker Hatfield sang praises for the U of O's unorthodox city bike design: "The U of O came in with a naïve, fresh, creative approach. They weren't locked in to a traditional version of a bike. There were more beautiful bikes out there, but theirs was fresh—the future."

Photo courtesy of University of Oregon

They chronicled their efforts in a Tumblog that spanned the five months leading up to the competition. U of O's School of Architecture and Allied Arts also kept tabs on the team over the course of three (in-depth) blog entries.

Photo courtesy of Dylan Van Weelden / Chris King Cycles

Runner-Up #1: Cutter Designs, John Cutter (San Luis Obispo, CA)

The first runner-up was John Cutter of his eponymous bicycle building studio, hailing from San Luis Obispo, some 900 miles down the Pacific Coast. His modified step-through frame was versatile if nothing else, featuring "a very sensible one-key system for panniers, cable lock, pump, wheels and lights."

His forward-flipping kickstand—he calls it a "suicide" stand, a play on car doors that open in reverse—was one of the key innovations on his bike. The extra arm hooks into the front fender for added security, as in Ziba × Signal's cable lock.

As for the handlebar design, Cutter—easily one of the oldest competitors—explained that he'd had problems with his neck and could no longer ride on drops, so he'd taken to experimenting with a repositionable handlebar to optimize the angles. For his Oregon Manifest bike, he opted for the funky, antler-like handlebars, that offered a variety of hand positions—though he admitted that they were just a tad narrow for him—and had the aesthetic upshot of echoing the shape of the frame.

Runner-Up: Frances Cycle, Joshua Muir (Santa Cruz, CA)

Joshua Muir's mixte frontloader was a crowd favorite, notable for its cable-routed steering system, attractive canvas cargo bag and the overall frame design. He was among the leaders during the first half of the race and there was no question that the Frances cycle was the quickest of the cargo-friendly designs.

Photo courtesy of Jonathan Maus / Bike Portland

Many of the builders themselves lauded the thoughtful design, and Muir earned the honor of being the only cargo bicycle to place.

Muir's classically-styled frame was one of Core77's favorite designs as well.

Third Place: Cielo / Chris King Cycles (Portland, OR)

While some felt that Cielo had a slight home field advantage—the frame was built literally down the hall from the announcement of the winners—there is no denying that the design is essentially a cyclists' utility bike. The lines of the frame aren't exactly a departure from existing bicycle designs, though the seatstays extend to form a double top tube (with Cielo caps at the head tube) that conceal a pump and U-lock.

From L to R: Framebuilder Buck, Chris King himself, rider Abby Watson

The bicycle, which may eventually be in production within the next 18 months, also features strutless fenders and custom contoured panniers by Portland-based Truce Designs.

Photo courtesy of Dylan Van Weelden / Chris King Cycles

Bagmaker Luke (not pictured) initially shied from the job because he had no idea where to start, though this was precisely why Cielo's Jay SyCip (not be confused with his brother, Jeremy) commissioned him to do it in the first place: Luke had no pre-existing concept of what a pannier should look like, so he was free to experiment.

Photo courtesy of Dylan Van Weelden / Chris King Cycles

Photo courtesy of Dylan Van Weelden / Chris King Cycles

Dylan Van Weelden of Chris King has a full set of photos of the Cielo bike on Flickr.

Second Place: Tsunehiro Cycles & Silas Beebe/ID+ (Portland, OR)

Photo courtesy of Oregon Manifest

Rob Tsunehiro's entry was interesting because it was a sort of unofficial creative collaboration: Silas Beebe, a freelancer who goes by ID+, designed the bicycle for his friend to build.

Rob divides his time between the computer, the workshop and the saddle. Through each stage of research and design, in working with the materials and tools, and finally pushing the pedals up a hill, there is an intimacy with the bike. This is his dream job.

A fifth-generation Portland native and industrial designer focused on sports and footwear, Silas Beebe has been interested in city bikes since studying design in Copenhagen in 1995 and 1998.

Photo courtesy of Oregon Manifest

Photo courtesy of Oregon Manifest

Nevertheless, the second place winner was perhaps the most craft-oriented of the bicycles, featuring arching seat-stays that run the length of the bicycle (which also appeared in various forms on other entries) and a removable passenger seat, all finished with classic styling.

Photo courtesy of Dylan Van Weelden / Chris King Cycles

Jonathan of BikePortland notes that the Tsunehiro was his favorite bike of the show.

First Place: Tony Pereira, Pereira Cycles (Portland, OR)

Photo courtesy of Dylan Van Weelden / Chris King Cycles

"Best in Show" came as a bit of a surprise to many of the builders; Portland's own Tony Pereira won last time around—his 2011 entry featured the same integrated U-lock that gave him the edge in 2009—and the repeat winner definitely came as a surprise to just about everyone in attendance.

Still, he managed to defend his title with a slick e-bike with a few signature details: the faux-gas tank motor is internally routed to the Bionx hub on the rear wheel, while the carbon fiber trunk (made by Portland's Ruckus Components) featured a built-in stereo. He cranked out classic rock throughout the ride as a sort of public service to other competitors and supporters, though his efforts didn't quite remedy the jocular, if palpable, disdain from his fellow builders.

Photo courtesy of Dylan Van Weelden / Chris King Cycles

Tony took the jabs in stride, admitting that the electric assist was his only chance at besting the likes of Ira Ryan on the road (not that it was a race). When asked if he had an unfair advantage physical aspect of the competition, he was heard quoting Greg LeMond: "It never gets easier, you just go faster." (Besides IDEO × Rock Lobster's "Faraday," Quixote Cycles partnered with Clever Cycles on a utility-centric e-bike design, which transported the youngest rider in the competition.)

In fact, Tony was all smiles during the field test, though he donned an even wider grin—as well as a bowtie and two-thirds of a suit—as he parted the audience on his way to the makeshift stage.

Photo courtesy of Jonathan Maus / Bike Portland

From the outset, Tony wisely chose to frame the discussion in his own terms, introducing his bicycle as a replacement for a car, with creature comforts such as a stereo, locking storage and, of course, the electric motor; one wonders if he'll find a way to incorporate A/C in two years' time. As judge Joe Breeze noted, "The e-bike can be one of the biggest growth areas of cycling. It allows someone to incorporate cycling into their daily life. They can get to a meeting and not arrive all sweaty."

Crank My Chain portentously interviewed Tony on opening night

Thus, the judges took "future" and "utility" as the operative words in the brief, echoing many commentators' praise for IDEO × Rock Lobster's "Faraday."

Photo courtesy of Dylan Van Weelden / Chris King Cycles

And as with most, if not all, of the entries, the bike was a manifestation (excuse the pun) of Tony's personality, which was precisely how the judges saw it:

"It was the spirit of this bike that stood out," said Rob Forbes, founder of Public Bikes and Design Within Reach. "It was a little rough, but combining riding with music, making it fun, making it a community experience—that made it extraordinary."

As April Streeter of Treehugger reports, Tony went so far as to declare that 2012 would be the year of the electric bike. To hear the builder himself tell it, GOOD picks up the conversation where the judges left off.

Congratulations, once again, to not only the winners but all of the competitors: each and every one of you should be proud of what you've accomplished.