CERV concept bike dynamically adjusts to different terrain

The brainchild of US bicycle manufacturer Cannondale and product design specialist Priority Designs, the Continuously Ergonomic Race Vehicle (CERV) bike made its world debut recently at the EUROBIKE exhibition in Germany, where it was praised for its innovative design. The CERV features a dynamically adjustable headset that moves both fore-and-aft and up-and-down, without the rider having to alter the seat-to-crank height. When descending a hill, the bike's front end moves forward and down to give the rider a low profile, while climbing a hill it moves up and back for a more upright rider position. On flat ground, the handlebar position is somewhere in-between. Realising that this wouldn't be possible with a traditional fork in place, Priority Designs set about creating a single-sided swing arm. While designing a forkless front-end had its own challenges, integrating it into a multi-axis adjustable system was said to bring about a whole new level of difficulty. Using Cannondale's original concept sketch, Priority Designs got to work exploring mechanical solutions to the challenges presented. In addition to working through the mechanisms in SolidWorks, mock-ups were built and key components were tested. Ultimately, a proof-of-concept bike was fabricated to validate the engineering principles and define the working envelope. Cannondale reviewed the mechanical solutions and dimensional realities revealed by the test mule. A revised concept illustration was created and the team at Priority Designs was given the green light to turn the vision into a reality. With the concept direction clarified, Priority Designs pushed ahead with CAD modelling and the part detailing required for fabrication. CNC, SLA and a host of other methods were used to create the parts before the bike could actually be constructed. Fitting, finishing, painting and assembly were all completed by the company on-site.