Interview with Björn Dahlström, the designer of the V Bike

On a warm summer's day in Stockholm Cykla talks to Björn Dahlström, the designer of the V Bike.

Cykla: How long had you been thinking about the V Bike?

Björn: I first started sketching in 2005. The first thought I had was of one continuous line going from the front rack, through the frame in the shape of a V and then ending at a box at the rear.

Cykla: What was the response from Skeppshult when you showed them the design?

Björn: They liked it virtually straight away which I was surprised at. They were quick to recognise the potential it had. I wanted to make a bike that allowed you to carry things easily but at the same time be highly manoeuvrable so that it's easy to use in the inner city and they saw that from the start.

Cykla: Most people who have ridden the V Bike are surprised at how "zippy" it feels yet at the same time how stable it feels.

Björn: Yes, exactly. For that you have to thank the people at Skeppshult. Their long experience in manufacturing bicycles clearly shines through. Plus, you can also say good design doesn’t just happen, it takes time. I started sketching designs in 2005 and by the end of 2006 we had the concept finalised and Skeppshult had made a few versions of the V Bike. During 2007 the V bike was slowly developed over many iterations and tested until we were happy to release the bike this year. The wheelbase is the same as that of other Skeppshult bikes which helps give it that stable feeling but combine that with small wheels and in Swedish we would say "den kan vända på en fem öring".

Cykla: Ahh, we would say "can turn on a 5 cent coin".

Björn: (Laughs) Yes, any coin would do I guess.

Cykla: How did the accessories develop? The way they attach is very clever.

Björn: My initial idea was that the front rack and rear box were permanently attached but it didn't take long before we realised that being able to take the different elements off would be an advantage. That way owners can choose what solution will suit them best. I think the way they attach makes them an integral part of the design. We could have quite easily attached a rack to the back and then bolted a box to that, but that probably would have looked more like an afterthought than a component that was part of the original inspiration. I think when you have a box at the back and a rack at the front the bike looks very balanced when you look at it from the side and the box looks like it's almost "floating" behind you.

Cykla: You didn't make it foldable.

Björn: No, we thought about that early on in the design stage but we decided not to make it foldable for a few reasons. The main reason was that even though there are dedicated fold up bike users we thought the majority of people wouldn’t fold it up that much once they got over the initial novelty of it. In the 70's there were a lot of bikes you could buy that folded up. Over the last few years people have been dragging those bikes out of their sheds but the folding mechanism has long since stopped working. People have started riding them again because they are fun to ride, not because you can fold them up. We also felt we didn't have anything to add to the fold up genre; there are already some really good products available. Also, ultimately I hope using the V Bike becomes second nature for people so that when they walk out the door they just jump straight onto the V Bike and unfolding/folding a bike for some people would not help make it second nature.

Cykla: How was it working with Skeppshult for the third time?

Björn: Wonderful, it seems to get better and better with every project. They are a fantastic company to work with and I hope we can continue our collaboration. They really are unlike any other company I have dealt with over the years, very relaxed and easy to deal with yet at the same time the wealth of their experience and quality bicycles they make is inspiring.

Cykla: What's the response been like to the V Bike?

Björn: Amazing really. I only recently took delivery of my own V Bike and I have been riding it every day. People have been stopping me in the street and asking questions about it and I even had a guy on a bike riding the opposite direction turn around and catch up to me to talk about it. For Stockholm that's quite impressive - we can sometimes walk around like we have horse blinkers on, so for people to actually engage you is a great sign.

Cykla: Thanks again Björn, we look forward to seeing more of your designs in the future.

Björn: My pleasure, any time.