Wheely good bikes on the way

Oxford Limited, the company in charge of the University’s brand management, has this month signed a five-year contract with IGS Corporation to kick-start plans to create a range of Oxford University bikes.

The two-wheelers are to be built by fashion-conscious Rule Bikes, who have
already made branded cycles for companies such as Angry Birds ™ and Star
Wars™, as well as showing off an array of their products at London Fashion
Week.

Like the modern Oxford student living in the midst of a city steeped in
history, the ‘style bikes’ produced are a melange of
old and new, as classic designs are innovated with a modern twist.

Students have expressed their concern that the eclectic variety of bicycles in
Oxford will be lost but it is hoped that diversity will prevail as students have
the opportunity to customise their bicycles online before purchasing.

Over in the other place, students already have a go-to range of personalised
University bikes in the form of Light Blue Cycles, a company founded by J. A.
Townsend in 1895 for the benefit of the well-off students of Cambridge.

The crumby Cambridge competition

The announcement of plans for similar navy blue merchandise has been met by a mixed reaction from students, with some having particular financial concerns.

‘The Supreme’ style bike manufactured by Rule cashed in at a minimum of £495 and it is feared that the range of Oxford University bikes will remain exclusively available to better off students.

Wadham SU President Jahnavi Emmanuel welcomed the news.  She hopes
to be able to incorporate Rule’s products into a University bicycle-scheme that
she and others are in the process of developing.

“I think this scheme could potentially be a really great thing for the university, as it offers the possibility of starting a university-wide bike share scheme which could work on a similar model to London’s “Boris Bikes”.

“Wadham and quite a few other colleges have tried to set up bike schemes like this within their own JCRs, but have been faced with significant challenges in terms of insurance and liability, as well as financial constraints.

“Having a university-wide and university-funded scheme could help solve some of these problems, as well as making it more useful and widely available to Oxford students.”