What Materials Are Used in Bike Furniture Design's Furniture?

Updated

Bike Furniture Design builds furniture from bicycles and motorcycles. The company describes its pieces as "handcrafted from bicycles and motorcycles" and has been making original furnishings for commercial and residential spaces since 1990. So the core material is not wood, metal stock, or upholstery bought new—it is used bike and motorcycle components, reworked by hand into tables, seating, and other furnishings.

The primary materials: bicycle and motorcycle parts

The source material is the bicycle and motorcycle itself. That means the visible surfaces and structure of a piece come from parts such as:

  • Wheels and rims — the most recognizable element, often used as table bases, frames, or decorative circles.
  • Frames and tubing — the metal skeleton of a bike or motorcycle, cut and rewelded into legs, supports, and structural members.
  • Drivetrain parts — chains, chainrings, sprockets, and gears, which can become surfaces, edging, or mechanical detail.
  • Handlebars, forks, and other components — used as legs, brackets, or accent features.

Because these are real vehicle parts, each piece carries the wear, finish, and proportions of the original machine. That is the point of the design: the furniture reads as a bicycle or motorcycle, not as furniture styled to look like one.

Handcrafted, original construction

The company's own description emphasizes "original furniture handcrafted from bicycles and motorcycles." Two things follow from that:

  1. Handcrafted means the parts are cut, joined, and finished by hand rather than coming off a production line. Welding, grinding, and finishing are part of the process, and small variations between pieces are expected.
  2. Original means designs are not mass-replicated catalog items. The specific mix of parts in a given piece depends on what components were available and how they were assembled.

This matters if you are comparing it to conventional furniture. You are not choosing between two finishes of the same table; you are choosing a one-off object whose character comes from its source parts.

Recycled and upcycled material

The materials are used bicycle and motorcycle parts, which places the work in the recycled or upcycled category. Instead of scrapping retired bikes and motorcycles, the components are given a second life as furnishings. For buyers, that has practical implications:

  • Sustainability angle — the raw material is diverted from waste.
  • Condition varies — parts may show scratches, patina, or earlier repairs, which is part of the aesthetic rather than a defect.
  • Availability shapes design — if a particular part is scarce, the pieces that use it are limited.

Built for commercial and residential spaces

The company states its furnishings are for both commercial and residential spaces. That tells you the construction is intended to hold up outside a purely decorative home setting—restaurants, offices, retail, and similar environments—while still being suitable for a home. If you are specifying for a commercial space, ask about the specific piece's construction and finish, since the material (metal bike and motorcycle parts) is consistent but the build of each design is not.

What this means if you are considering a piece

  • Expect metal and mechanical components, not conventional furniture materials, as the dominant visual and structural element.
  • Expect variation between pieces, because handcrafted work from used parts cannot be identical unit to unit.
  • Ask about the specific parts used in the piece you are interested in, since the material list is "bicycles and motorcycles" rather than a fixed specification sheet.
  • Confirm the intended setting—commercial or residential—so the finish and construction match how the piece will be used.

The short answer: the materials are bicycles and motorcycles, handcrafted into original furniture, with the recycled nature of the parts forming both the look and the limitations of each piece.