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Bike of the future removes the need to shift gears, pedal up hills or pack a lock

Biking in Seattle can be less than mellow with all the hills, traffic and especially that rain. But those things are exactly what inspired the Teague team of bicycle designers to build the Denny bike for the Oregon Manifest bike design project. The model (built by fabricator Taylor Sizemore) sports a minimalist frame, which belies all the tech packed inside. There's an electric motor on the front hub (with a removable battery) to boost your hill-climbing, for starters. That's married with a computer controlled automatic shifter that automatically adjusts to ride conditions for a "hassle-free riding experience." To combat the constant showers, meanwhile, it uses a simple device with rubber bristles to break up the water, rather than a fender.

Since city driving is fraught with danger, the Denny also has safety features like daytime running lights, brake lights and turn signals activated by bumping the brake handles. And to keep that toned-down look, the handlebars function as either a nifty quick locking system, or detach fully to secure the frame and back wheel. For now, the bike remains experimental as part of the Oregon Manifest Bike Design Project. However, whichever bike wins the contest will actually go into production, and previous champs like the Faraday Porteur have lived on as crowdfunded production models.