MIKALON bike
We didn't start out as a bicycle design company.
Architect IL HOON ROH has been creating design art at the intersection of architecture and design for the past 15 years. His innovative designs, which celebrate beautiful and efficient structures found in nature through works of art, have gained acclaim in prestigious art collections worldwide, including Centre Pompidou in Paris.
The MIKALON project began in 2018. The aim of the project was to create a structure that represents, displays and utilizes the structural qualities which IL Hoon has been researching for more than a decade. The bicycle was chosen for the project because having a lighter, sturdier and optimized frame is not a mere add-on, but a determining factor for the performance of a bike.
IL Hoon also wanted to create a nomadic exhibition, a work of art that can be seen and used daily, allowing it to reach a wider audience – an alternative to the traditional exhibition format confined to museums and galleries, and only available for a limited period.
Why separable?
When designing folding bicycles, designers generally first determine the folding method,
reinforce the structure, and then add design elements.
MIKALON, however, took the opposite approach. The primary focus was on finding an optimized frame structure. Hybrid folding method with a separable mechanism was developed, allowing the bike to fold in seconds while maintaining the structural benefits obtained earlier. The benefit of this was so that the structure of the frame was not determined by the folding mechanism, which allowed the effectiveness of superior structure - namely lightweight, strong and aesthetically pleasing - not to be compromised by the secondary function of the frame, the folding. Folding was a function that was added to increase mobility and compactability of the bike.
Structure of the frame was developed by using SimSolid & Inspire from Altair, a state of art engineering simulation tools which allowed IL Hoon to see the way the weight was distributed and optimized its thickness and spacial qualities according to its calculations.
The cable separation device, retractable stem that can be set to the user’s height, and secondary frame folding mechanism were also developed and patented to increase the design aspect of the frame even further.
Few parts of the bike was manufactured in carbon to decrease the weight and further increase firmness of the bike – this was sponsored by Hyosung Advanced Materials who was kindly sponsored this project from the beginning.
Patented hybrid folding (separable + folding)
Patented retractable stem. (Automatically returns back to the user height setting)
Patented cable separation device (separate & reconnect the brake cable in seconds)
Designed and manufactured in-house.
Due to MIKALON's unique structural approach, many bicycle manufacturers around the world found it too difficult to produce. As he was unwilling to compromise on design, he eventually decided to make the frame by himself, in-house. IL HOON ROH created the tools and jigs for the manufacture from scratch to make a frame that upheld the design and satisfied his standards.
To optimize the design, thousands of virtual simulations were conducted. To ensure precision and durability, titanium frames were crafted and later welded in an argon chamber – a technique that is typically reserved for the aerospace industry. Consequently, the frame passed the ISO 4210 test for safety verification.
MIKALON represents the culmination of the architect's aesthetic and technical expertise. When stepping and accelerating on a MIKALON bike, it is our hope that collectors will experience the same reverence and awe we hold for the beautiful and optimized structures found in nature.
Titanium frames were welded in an argon chamber
ISO 4210 structural safety test
MIKALON bike project was sponsored by Hyosung Advanced Materials & Altair
