As promised here’s a long list of triple clamps submitted to the Amarok competition that caught our attention but didn’t make it to the very top. I’ve tried to add a sentence or two about each design to explain why it stuck out from the rest. The list is in no particular order, I just had them opened in this order in my browser tabs :)
Mark Clayton showed real creativity and original approach with his "club remix" version was definitely something different. Machining it from one piece will be a waste though :) Amarok said "we would like to try this one". Because of the added tubes it doesn’t quite compare with the others in terms of weight but as said - we love that someone thought beyond the requirements. Two of Mark’s other models also made it to the list of finalists. Well done, Mark!
David Labbé took the simple approach to the design, using one sweeping curve and heavy branding focusing on the Canadian roots of the racing team. It would look very good on the bike and is easy to manufacture.
Stelu Harsan’s many entries kept us interested throughout the contest and it was great to see his design evolve from model to model. His 5th design that clocked in at around 548 grams was the best of the lot. Eye catching design but a bit of a challenge to machine it.
When Chris Dollery’s design that was all about the claw logo rolled in we were all taken by surprise. When we said "design must incorporate Amarok Paw brand symbol" we didn’t mean it quite like that but nevertheless liked the creative approach. The only question remains - will the somewhat Disney-esque design look right in a world of petrol heads and testosterone fueled speed?
There are simple design and then there’s clean and striking like Nick Van Laar’s approach. As simple as you can get but at the same time very elegant in an understated way. "Stealthy" was one of the words used to describe it. Truth be told - three of Nick’s four entries were mentioned when selecting the top so watch out for this gentleman in the future competitions.
"Tastefully classic" is how we’d describe John Evans’ submission. Not the lightest of the bunch although it has a minimal approach. Bonus points to John for a very thorough write up of how he got to this result and what he learned while creating this baby: part 1, part 2.
Beefy, simple to make, tough-looking and standing out from the crowd with it’s strong lines. Tomasz Nalborski definitely managed to come up with something original although the weight of the design is it’s Achille’s heel. Tomasz’ other model caught our attention too, it’s lighter and even without looking we got the feeling that it came from the same author.
Canadian Mike Baschuk is clearly (and for a good reason) proud of the Amarok Canadian roots and isn’t afraid to use it in his design. The result is eye-catching and "race me!" look, it’s also relatively easy to make. It’s no lightweight but we like Mike’s thorough description of the stress test and machining considerations.
"I won't like to be the man which will program the milling path," one of the winners commented on this one. However the honeycomb design and orange race stripe got our attention. Well done, Luis Cordoba.
Talk about taking a different approach - John Reis’ version won’t be the easiest to mill either, perhaps it’s not the optimum design but it’s definitely interesting.
Dane’s version is worth mentioning for the weight alone. It’s got a cool techie feel but we keep wondering if it’ll be strong enough.
Going even lighter there’s the 485 gram version from Benoit Marleau. Not many entries came in lighter than that. To Benoit’s credit he’s come up with a beautiful solid look with good angles and proportions that say "strong" and "aggressive". What’s more it’s easy to manufacture and without weak points under stress. It was a very strong contender into the top 3.
I wrote that not many entries came in lighter than Benoit’s - well this one did. Rob Finch has gone all out on a very simple, almost no-design design and while it may light sophistication it’s a high performance result.
When was the last time you heard a motorcycle part being described "looks like an art deco piece"? Well, John Reis earned this from Amarok guys with his simple design that has what almost looks like an airplane wing section with exposed ribs. Beautiful.
The winner, Danny Tas, gets a special mention for this brilliant take on the challenge. We love humor and people who have fun working on a challenge. Amarok promised that when they make a steam punk version they’ll give Danny another call :)
Check out the third rendering of Fran Nixon’s design and tell us do you see a motorcycle triple clamp or do you see an alien space ship? Just a wild and intriguing shape.
We’ll finish the list with two lightweights. Paul Derk’s intricate yet robust looking model looks as complicate as it is to mill but it’s different for sure.
And the last design has to be the most minimalist we’ve seen. Inputs has pretty much taken the triple clamp to its simplest possible form but we’re not sure about the strength, it does look fragile.
