History

History of the Sandwichbike

Would you have believed that two wooden panels could deliver the funkiest ride there is? We did, and we dubbed it the Sandwichbike. A Dutch Design original that was inspired by the concept of flat packing, home assembly and our never-ending drive to create exceptional products. To enable you to build it yourself, we engineered a ‘sandwich’ of two weather coated frames of layered plywood. Bonded together by ‘smart cylinders’, the frames and components become a durable rock-solid piece of technology.

It all began in 2006 when Bleijh industrial design studio competed in the International Bicycle Design Competition in Taiwan. Bleijh’s aim was to create a bicycle that re-examined materials, manufacturing and distribution of the common bike. Inspired by the concept of flat packing and home assembly, Basten Leijh of Bleijh, designed a bike made out of two wooden plates. Apart from the obvious advantages flat packing has for shipment, the use of two wooden plates gives freedom of printing and cutting techniques, making it possible to give each bicycle its own unique identity.

With a prestigious fifth place and plenty of positive publicity the 1:3 scaled bicycle was used to create a full-scale prototype, which was exhibited in Milan. Again the global publicity was promising and it was clear there was a real demand. Unfortunately, Bleijh was not able to meet demand at the time as their prototype, and with it intrinsic knowledge of the bike, was stolen at the exhibition.

Bleijh tackled the issue of recreating a new prototype and readdressing engineering issues such as using fewer screws to assemble the bicycle. After completing the newest prototype in 2007, the Sandwichbike was put on hold as other interesting projects at Bleijh demanded attention.

At the end of 2010 Bleijh refocused on the Sandwichbike. The continuous buzz that the bike concept was still producing on Internet motivated them to take the concept and make it more concrete with the help of engineers from both the cycling as automotive industry. In the following year, a handful of prototypes were made, focussing on sturdy materials, sustainability, precision and, of course, travel comfort. At this time, the Pedalfactory was established. The Pedalfactory is a company with a focus on the design, the creation and the sales of unique bicycles. The Pedalfactory delivered the final design, the engineering and all the production processes in order to sell and deliver the Sandwichbike.

Sandwichbikes Launch

The Sandwichbike Launch took place in Amsterdam on December 1st of 2013 at the Overhoeks tower.

The bike was ready to be sold worldwide!

Awards

The bike was ready to be sold worldwide. Also the Sandwichbike won different design prices. The Sandwichbike won the iF Product Design Award 2014 and also won the American Core77 Design Award!

Sandwichbikes Steel Fork

Since not all countries are flat and not everyone’s cycling wishes are the same, new Sandwichbikes models were developed. These offer comfort and meet the needs connected to your cycling area.

The introduction of the Sandwichbikes Steel fork. With the Sandwichbikes Steel Fork Series you can ride with your head in the clouds! The steel front fork and handlebars give you the perfect riding position.

Sandwichbikes Small series

In 2015 we introduced a new category to our range: The Sandwichbikes Small series. This series makes our bicycles available for a broader audience, since it fits people starting at a height of 130 cm (4’8ft).

Sandwichbikes Customization

As the Sandwichbike is a unique bicycle by material, design and product technology. The large surface of the frame offers many customize possibilities to make it even more unique. The frame of the Sandwichbike is the only frame in the world that can match Pantone colors and can include all possible design patterns. With a Sandwichbikes Printed Foil on the Wood every customize variation can be applied, which makes it the perfect bicycle to create a unique design or to convey your corporate identity.

Sandwichbikes Walnut Veneer

Driven by the will to create unique bicycles of high quality and with attention to detail, Sandwichbikes developed a limited edition of our multiple award winning Sandwichbikes. Handcrafted polished aluminium parts along with Walnut Veneer panels, form the deluxe, electrical Sandwichbikes Walnut Veneer limited edition. This luxurious bicycle features a complete set of handcrafted parts and is manually assembled.