american e-bike company, zooz, presents a high performance and lightweight two-wheeler that offers a cleaner way to get around the city. envisioned by three motorcycling friends, the design combines classic lines with a big battery and throttle heavy experience that treads the line between bicycle and motorcycle.
minimal, elegant and classic design makes the zooz urban ultralight a subtle standout
all images courtesy of zooz bikes
zooz bikes started in 2017 with chris zahner, when the eccentric fabricator and hobbyist with 12 years of experience building custom motorcycles took a look at the growing e-bike scene just as he needed to solve his own dilemma of navigating the slow-moving streets of downtown chicago. he wanted something that could offer him as much thrill and excitement as his motorcycle, but without the hassle of parking, insurance or even exhaust fumes.
clean lines, comfy seat, big battery and a throttle heavy experience treads the line between bicycle and motorcycle
not long after chris posted some instagram stories of his first e-bike experiment, his friend pete kelly, also a motorcyclist and industrial designer with tenure at companies like skullcandy and fossil watch took interest. after a few weeks of conversations and developing ideas, they decided that the world needed a better e-bike, and they were in a unique position to do it.
zooz is currently offering two handlebar options with many more to come in the near future
chris and pete began sketching, prototyping and testing the ultimate lightweight two-wheeler. their creations spent very little time on a screen or paper before they started building real, functional bikes in chris’ personal garage in chicago. each iteration was tirelessly tested in all kinds of conditions. to date, they have built 16 electric bikes, some of which stretch really stretch the definition of what a ‘bike’ is. they call the project zooz, and their mission is to push the design and use-case envelop to change perspectives for what they call ‘the next chapter in the history of two-wheels.’
the first concept vehicle of several that zooz plans to release for a look at their radical ideas
along the way, zooz was joined by another friend, michael baker, a veteran high-volume motorcycle dealer and a knack for customer service with warehouses suitable for growth in ft. worth, texas. zooz has taken the leap into offering a product for sale. they call it, the urban ultralight and is geared towards city-dwellers who like a fun way to get around town, but won’t settle for anything un-evocative.
such a lightweight two-wheeler could dramatically shift how many prefer to get around their city
zooz is currently producing a short run of 100 ultralights for sale to the public, to be delivered in june 2020. you can buy directly from them on their website, but the first 100 are almost 60% sold out. this first batch is meant to seed bikes to the general public while they generate content and interest for an indiegogo campaign they plan to launch in september 2020. you can see the evolution of their process in the video below.
zooz applies their motorcycling know-how and extreme testing to vet their products
creator and co-founder chris zahner out for some fun
founders chris and pete with the bikes
the zooz urban ultralight is meant to be as light, strong, fast and good looking as possible
some more bikes that have spilled out of their garage during their ideation sessions – these will do 45mph, but are not for sale
the first concept vehicle of several that zooz plans to release for a look at their radical ideas
project info:
project name: zooz bikes
design: chris zahner, pete kelly, michael baker
designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.
edited by: lynne myers | designboom
