Reynolds Composites manufactures carbon fiber bicycle wheels, tubing and components. The most important goal was to show that Reynolds is a significant player in the composite bicycle component field.

The Interbike show is awash in a sea of composite parts. Reynolds doesn’t make bikes; it just makes bicycle components. Most of its products end up with other manufacturers’ names on them. Cycling-star endorsements were out because of the extraordinary cost, so the company had to find another way to make its brand stand out. Additionally, bicycles and bicycle components (particularly wheels) are small, complicated, visually fussy products, and it was important to make them stand out. Finally, a very small budget and quick turnaround made this an even trickier proposition.

The design was as simple as we could make it. The back wall showed a bicycle rider riding not on a bike, but on an array of Reynolds components “flying in formation.” To save money, the client built the back-wall frame out of left-over carbon fiber tubing. Wheel sets were the only products displayed. The wheels all rotated on their displays, bringing an element of motion to a product that is all about motion. The result was a display that spoke to the soul of a bicyclist, and also brought a certain amount of poetry to a macho product.

The materials used were vinyl inkjet output over carbon fiber tube frame, a plastic anti-fatigue mat floor and aluminum wheel displays. Of necessity, much of this exhibit was petroleum based (carbon fiber is an oil-derived product). Our focus became reducing the overall weight and mass of the 40-foot exhibit, allowing it fit into a small U-Haul truck. In addition, the wheel displays were made of recycled aluminum, and the floor was made of recycled plastic.