'Crescent Elmer' electric bicycle: the award-winning collaboration with Cycleurope

Sustainability

Our team at Experience Studios and Cycleurope shared the ambition to create something unique and ambitious in the bike world, with a strong focus on sustainability. Our take was to step away from the initial technicalities and constraints to design the frame from a user point of view, to see how we could express and meet the needs of urban living and sustainable mobility.

Early on we had discussions around the vision of the bike project as “a second car” but instead we pushed for the question: why not make it the number one choice? The electric bike has had a significant impact on cycling, as it has encouraged many car drivers to switch to cycling and embrace active mobility. This allows people to get their daily exercise while also completing their daily errands, and most significantly – if more people exchange car trips for bike trips, we contribute to a green transition.

The challenge

For the development of this new family e-bike, the main challenges were to integrate a battery into the frame and create an exceptionally large rear carrier – without making the bike as a whole look extraordinary.

What makes bicycles so unique, is that the design and engineering of the product are so closely related to each other. More than any product development process, it requires a holistic view and strong teamwork across that has a striking design and offers exceptional user value is only a start. The real challenge is making sure to not lose that concept during the hundreds of micro-decisions throughout the different phases of the development process. We made sure we delivered a production-ready design package, that was thought through in every detail.

Our way of working

AFRY Experience Studios brings together a wide field of specialities in design. To make full use of the potential within our studio, we have created an offering that we call a 'flexible design team'.

The premise is simple: we bring in the right expertise at the right time. The project we did with Cycleurope is a great example of how this setup can deliver value and helps create award-winning products.

– Marjin Molenaar, Design Project Lead, AFRY Experience Studios.

What was the result?

Crescent Elmer is a new type of family e-bike that helps solve the puzzles of daily life. Featuring a design that focuses on the exceptionally high capacity for carrying accessories, it combines the best qualities of both a city and a cargo bike. It creates new possibilities by combining safe commuting, cycling the kids to school and the weekly grocery trip in one modular solution.

The Elmer frame is designed to support more accessories than any other city bike. The seat stay design balances the proportions of the oversized rear carrier with a low in-step city frame. Based upon the heavy-duty version of the award-winning AVS+ system, the user can easily connect and disconnect up to five accessories – including an approved child seat.

Crescent Elmer is engineered for the Nordic climate. Powerful lights with inbuilt brake light functionality ensure visibility in the dark winter and wide premium tires secure a comfortable ride on any surface or condition. Cables and fragile components are carefully integrated in the frame to protect it from the elements and to give it a clean Scandinavian look.

During the project with our new Crescent e-bike range, we had the great pleasure to work with the AFRY Experience Studios. They have been an invaluable partner by balancing the brand experience and design process with a clear understanding of our driving force. Great communication and excellent support throughout the whole project. Your expertise in this field is really something extra!

– Johanna Smedberg, Marketing Director, Cycleurope