It is new, it hasn’t been seen before, it is even missing the seat stays! And still everybody will see this as an archetype bicycle. This was the idea: it should stand out in the shop, something really special; but when the user is riding it it should put the attention on her, not on the bike. She wants to be seen, not been stared at as if she was riding some sort of circus attraction.

I achieved this by making the form logic. Normally a diamond shaped frame is the ideal form, for a sports bicycle that is. But add a rear fender, a luggage carrier, a chain guard and a step through frame to the equation and you will see that the Dutchess’ form is actually a more convenient form then the diamond shape.

The down tube of the frame runs underneath the bracket and transforms into the rear fender. This makes that the fender is a tube and a structural part of the frame; it holds the rack and supports the rear wheel. Because it is a tube it can also contain some other features, like a small mud guard extension at the rear and a kickstand near the bracket.

The bracket is strong yet light

The rear fender is a structural frame tube