1960 Bowden Spacelander

The very definition of out-of-the box design, the Benjamin Bowden designed Spacelander bicycle was a unique and interesting space age design that didn't quite take off.

Designed as early as 1948, when Benjamin Bowden used pressed aluminium panels to create a monocoque for a bicycle. Unfortunately, Bowden could not find a taker for his unique idea, and the project sat in prototype form for over a decade.

The concept had many interesting ideas, such as built in head- and tail-lights, and a hub dynamo,  which stored energy when riding downhill, and provided a boost when riding uphill.

In 1960, Bowden managed to find a manufacturer and distributor for his project, which retained the same design, but now used a lighter fiberglass frame, a simpler drivetrain, and abandoned the hub dynamo. It was offered in five different colors. It was sold for just the one year, and only about 544 finished cycles were created, though parts for more were manufactured.

Bowden later made a similar concept called the 300, which did away with the downtube, simplifying the already streamlined machine even more. Like with the Classic, only a few prototypes were ever made.

Unfortunately, like many radical ideas, the Spacelander found few takers. While everyone wants change, few people are willing to accept a radical departure from existing designs. Apple faced enormous backlash when they decided to do away with the floppy drive, and again when the decided to do away with the CD drive, but both are virtually non-existent on laptops today. Similarly, Microsoft's Kin and Zune both bombed, but they persisted with the flat, non-skeumorphic, text driven interfaces, and today most UI design is following suit. Bowden however did not persist.

The high price, fragile frame, and unusual design were just too radical for bicycle enthusiasts at the time, and production was halted within the year. The Spacelander however, has become a collector's item (as evidenced by its appearance on the TV Show, Pawn Stars). In the 1980's John Howland and Michael Kaplan purchased the rights to the Spacelander name, and began producing more durable replicas. Today, the original Spacelanders' unique design and small number have helped launch prices into the stratosphere. Proof that Benjamin Bowden had the right idea with his space-age design.

For more info on Benjamin Bowden and the Spacelander, check out this article by Richard Truett for The Orlando Sentinel.