Bicycle
Bicycles are exceptionally useful methods of transportation, economical gas savers and a good source of healthy exercise.
Carryable Folding BikesCarryable folding bikes are of the greatest use because of how well they lend themselves to urban movement.
Strida £249
Pluses: Folding time: 10 seconds. Greaseless kevlar chain. Cargo rack. Comfy seat. Minuses: Heavier than A-Bike. When folded, it requires one hand to roll it around easily. A-Bike £150
A-Bike is the most carryable of folding bikes. 5.5kg/12lb, hands-free shoulder carry bag Folding time: 10-30 seconds. Can be folded & unfolded while walking. Pluses: Greaseless internal chain. Dual chain makes small wheels easier to pedal. Minuses: Stock seat is uncomfortable especially because wheels do not cushion bumps. More work to pedal and slower top speed than Strida. Maximum height/weight 6'4"/185lbs. Modification: Add a custom seat or cushioning. Speed: 7-15mph "My best advice to a newcomer is to sit still and ride easy. The A-bike is not intended for speed. When you pedal at 7 or 8 mph you double walking speed and don't even work up a sweat." Future Tech To Watch ForLocust
13 September 2006 Locust Concept Bicycle Folds into a Wheel
Celstran All-Platic Folding Bike Concepthttp://www.minimalvehicleproject.com/
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Cheap Folding Bicycles
Citizen Bike
Pluses: Inexpensive folder. $175 Wikipedia
Bicycle Helmet
Bicycle Helmet
A good helmet is a must. It's no good to be feeding your brain knowledge and experience just to get all your premium gray matter splashed on the pavement. Don't risk the sum of your human development by zooming about without wearing proper protection for your cranium!
Stash Helmet
Love your bonce?
You've seen the ultimate fold-up bike, now witness the ultimate fold-up helmet. Yes indeed, this amazing little lid miraculously folds into itself when not in use, so you can bung it in your rucksack, your laptop case or even your handbag. More importantly the Stash Helmet will protect your beloved bonce as you whizz along on your A-bike. The Stash utilises injection-moulded ABS, ultra-strong, lightweight exo-shells and shock-absorbing EPS foam liners to absorb impact. Over 'ere, on me 'ead!
Full-Size Folding BikesMontague Paratrooper Tactical Bikehttp://www.montaguebikes.com/militarygallery.html Since the 1980s, Montague has provided full-size folding bicycles to various divisions of the military. In 1997, under a grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Montague partnered with the US Marines to develop the Tactical Electric No Signature (TENS) Mountain Bike. For this project, Montague developed a new folding frame design called the X-Series™, integrating the F.I.T.™ system into the frame design. The non-electric version of the TENS Mountain Bike, named The Paratrooper®, became available shortly thereafter. The F.I.T.™(Folding Integrated Technology) system was developed to allow a full-size, high-performance mountain bike to fold in half so that it could fit through the cargo door of a military aircraft with a paratrooper. When the soldier would hit the ground, he or she would have a tactical mountain bike to use as transportation, thereby bridging the gap between walking and deploying heavy military vehicles. This would not only aid in transportation but it would help to facilitate battlefield reporting as well. Paratrooper: $645 DX Without Suspension: $395 |
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Alessandro Belli says:
38 weeks ago
Our solution to the same problem.
I think that Sir Clive's work is trying to address one of the most puzzling problems of modern engineering: why is the bicycle one of the few products that's remained failry unchanged through at least three technology revolutions? And why in the world shouldn't, in the age of miniaturization and "personal"-ization, the bicycle be grafted upon the public/private transportation means as a tool for "fine distribution" intermediate between the car or the bus or the tube and mere walking?
I am a product designer, and as many others (including design superstar Richard Sapper) I have tried to contribute a solution. The first concern of our study group was, true, to make sure that our project "didn't invent anything" in terms of ergonomics. That is we have tried to stay as close as possible near the standard biking parameters, in order to avoid the "circus monkey" image that some were mentioning.
Our work was supported by the European Commission's program "LIFE" and by engineering polymer concern Ticona-Celanese: http://www.ticona.com/index/news/newsletters/ticon ...
It may be interesting to compare our project with Sir Clive's:
- HALF the volume and more compact when folded: 48x36x12 cm vs. 70x30x20 (as declared by the Sinclair website). 46x35x10cm/18"x14"x4"/15L
- Twice larger wheels with Pirelli tubeless tyres.
- Super-stiff pre-tensioned space-frame frame, as stiff as a "normal" bike (or more).
- Larger size, 100% regular ergonomics and handling (relationship between seat, handlebars, pedals and wheelbase) for people up to 1,92 cm (US male 99th percentile).
- Totally automated, pushbotton, "landing-gear style", folding/unfolding
- Belt traction (no chains), normal gearing, 3 speeds, normal 170-mm cranks.
- Much lighter than the A-Bike, all plastics, engineered by Ticona-Celanese: 4.0 kg.
- Electric kit that brings the total to a mere 6.0 kg.
I believe that our solution is a more advanced one, more realistic and industrially sound. But my respect to the fact is that Sir. Clive had the ability to bring his to the market while we still are not there.
Best regards,
Alessandro Belli