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The Denny won a national contest sponsored by jeans maker Levis.

What are the key features for the ultimate urban commuter bike? How about a removable handlebar-integrated lock, 
automatic gear shifting, electric power assist for steep hills, and fully-integrated turn signals, headlight and brake lights.

Those are just some of the features that earned Seattle, Washington-based design firm Teage top prize in a nationwide contest sponsored by Levi's and Oregon Manifest.

The Denny, as the winning bike is known, topped creations from four other design firms, earning the lion's share of 136,000 votes. Besides honor and prestige, the new bike will now be put into production by Fuji, with a scheduled release date of 2015. Pricing has not yet been announced.

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Minimalist fenders keep road spray at bay, while head and tail lights come on automatically.

At first glance, the bike looks like something out of a George Lucas movie, with lots of smooth futuristic lines. But a closer look reveals a creation that really does tick all the boxes as the ultimate urban utility bike.

While Teague handled all the design, the finished product prototype was built by Tony Sizemore, a Washington-based frame builder. That area's wet climate influenced the design, which also includes minimalist fenders front and rear, and the aforementioned lock that's built into the handlebars. There's even a removable battery, which makes it easy to recharge the power source that runs the automatic head light, brake lights, turn signals, and computer-controlled automatic gears.

Additional highlights include auto-on lights that react to ambient light and safety lights that illuminate the road around the bike. It also has a built-in storage platform over the front wheel, making it easy to tote a briefcase - or a six-pack of beer. Don't know about you, but we're sold. Sounds like a whole lot more fun than driving a car.

Check out this video to see the Denny in action.[vimeo width="610" height="343"]https://vimeo.com/101883999[/vimeo]