A folding bike that weighs 6.5 kg

LigiaStan

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to introduce what I’ve been working on for the past year: the world’s lightest folding bike, weighing 6.5 kg. I’ve put a lot of time into this project - The Hummingbird Bike - and it’s finally going to be available to buy on Kickstarter, starting with the 11th of November!

Some info on the bike: it’s carbon fibre, will come in yellow, red, black and raw carbon fibre and will be available with 16” wheels or 20” wheels. The design is patent pending and ready for manufacturing - we’ll produce it in the UK.

Would love to hear your feedback and you can always get in touch on http://www.hummingbirdbike.com or on https://www.facebook.com/hummingbirdbike1/

Thanks and hope you like it,
Ligia

imatfaal

I echo above comment - it would also be nice to see a full geometry of the bike on the website

edrobbin

Looks amazing, and I totally agree with the idea of a carbon folding bike - I see loads of people bent sideways walking from the train - 6.5kg would be popular I think.

A quick question, and I'm sure you've covered all this, but I'm just curious; how much of the folding process is patented by Brompton/others? Yours looked similar, so wondering whether that was a hurdle you had to overcome?

Hope it goes well. how much will they retail for?

LigiaStan

Hi guys,

We're live on Kickstarter! --> http://kck.st/1ODKIwf

Just clarifying some stuff: the bike in the photos is our prototype. The production version will have fenders. The rear part that is now alluminium will be carbon fiber, which saves some weight and compensates for the fenders and everything else you can fit on it.

The bike will have a rear brake and it will be routed internally. The contact points with the ground will have rubber patches. The bike will also have an integrated handle in the main frame for easier handling.

Also, we will do a 5-speed internal hub version too, as it is on Kickstarter. 16" wheels or 20" wheels.

Thanks!

The Rookie

Looks good, not for me but if I did want a folder it would be interesting to try.

I'd be trying to have an eye on keeping at least one model in the sub £1K C2W bracket, plus maybe with upgrade options on top (so a geared conversion kit for example sold separately).

shimanobottombracket

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19739334#p19739334]LigiaStan[/url] wrote:

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to introduce what I’ve been working on for the past year: the world’s lightest folding bike, weighing 6.5 kg. I’ve put a lot of time into this project - The Hummingbird Bike - and it’s finally going to be available to buy on Kickstarter, starting with the 11th of November!

Some info on the bike: it’s carbon fibre, will come in yellow, red, black and raw carbon fibre and will be available with 16” wheels or 20” wheels. The design is patent pending and ready for manufacturing - we’ll produce it in the UK.

Would love to hear your feedback and you can always get in touch on http://www.hummingbirdbike.com or on https://www.facebook.com/hummingbirdbike1/

Thanks and hope you like it,
Ligia

As much as I despise the look of those bikes, I think your onto something here. Very good idea in theory. Bare in mind that people who are using a bike for commuting are generally not willing to pay huge prices for them. I think if you can get the price reasonable enough (I recently paid out £700 for an aluminium commuter bike including luggage) then it should be successful. Bikes weighing 6.5 kg usually cost 4 digits and usually used for TT or racing. The lack of weight would certainly be beneficial to those having to carry it on trains and through places they cannot cycle.

imatfaal

From the quickest of glances at kickstarter the intended prices are 1550GBP for single speed 16inch, 1750 for 5speed 16inch, 1750 single speed 20inch, and 1890 five speed 20inch. 1550 will get you a good hydraulic disc roadbike from planetx with enough left over to buy a cheap fgss to leave at the station at the other end of the commute (trains seeming to be the biggest reason people use bromptons)

edrobbin

http://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/design/this-ingenious-folding-bike-weighs-less-than-a-watermelon-a3117286.html

supersonic

I think it will have a good market, that's a good weight - though not the smallest folder I have seen. I also disagree with the must be steel to be tough - just an excuse for cheap 'hi-ten' mild steel frames.

LigiaStan

Hi everyone!

We've reached our last 3 days on Kickstarter with the Hummingbird bike and just wanted to thank you all for the feedback. We've taken it into consideration and added mudguards and a rear brake.

We're also working on a concept for mounting bags or racks on the Hummingbird.

Hopefully the next prototype will fold even more and keep its weight. Thanks again for the feedback and if you want to have a look at how the campaign evolved in the past month you can see it here --> http://kck.st/1ODKIwf

Thanks,
Ligia

shimanobottombracket

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19757506#p19757506]LigiaStan[/url] wrote:

Hi everyone!

We've reached our last 3 days on Kickstarter with the Hummingbird bike and just wanted to thank you all for the feedback. We've taken it into consideration and added mudguards and a rear brake.

We're also working on a concept for mounting bags or racks on the Hummingbird.

Hopefully the next prototype will fold even more and keep its weight. Thanks again for the feedback and if you want to have a look at how the campaign evolved in the past month you can see it here --> http://kck.st/1ODKIwf

Thanks,
Ligia

I dont claim to be an expert on physics or cycling, but wouldnt bags, racks and luggage etc be best mounted on the back? I would imagine the handling would be adversely affected by adding lots of weight on the forks, handlbars or headtube.

ugo.santalucia

Re. the comment above, Brompton don't own any intellectual property... it's part of their phylosophy.

Neat design... doesn't fold as small as a Brompton though

t4tomo

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19765723#p19765723]ShimanoBottomBracket[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19757506#p19757506]LigiaStan[/url] wrote:

Hi everyone!

We've reached our last 3 days on Kickstarter with the Hummingbird bike and just wanted to thank you all for the feedback. We've taken it into consideration and added mudguards and a rear brake.

We're also working on a concept for mounting bags or racks on the Hummingbird.

Hopefully the next prototype will fold even more and keep its weight. Thanks again for the feedback and if you want to have a look at how the campaign evolved in the past month you can see it here --> http://kck.st/1ODKIwf

Thanks,
Ligia

I dont claim to be an expert on physics or cycling, but wouldnt bags, racks and luggage etc be best mounted on the back? I would imagine the handling would be adversely affected by adding lots of weight on the forks, handlbars or headtube.

Brompton handling is actually improved by having a bit of weight in the front luggage.

andyeb

Looks good on paper and in the videos.

I do have one major concern which would probably be a deal breaker though - I currently have a Tern Verge P9 (which is properly quick for a folding bike). However the riding position is *way* too upright, as the handlebars are too high, with no adjustment. Being a once-size-fits-all, the reach is also too short.

All of that makes for too much weight through my back side, which means saddle sores . I can ride all day on an endurance road bike without problems and the same clothing however.

As far as I can see, exactly the same thing applies to the Hummingbird bike. As a roadie at heart, I like my handlebars 7cm lower than the saddle.

roger_merriman

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19776170#p19776170]andyeb[/url] wrote:

Looks good on paper and in the videos.

I do have one major concern which would probably be a deal breaker though - I currently have a Tern Verge P9 (which is properly quick for a folding bike). However the riding position is *way* too upright, as the handlebars are too high, with no adjustment. Being a once-size-fits-all, the reach is also too short.

All of that makes for too much weight through my back side, which means saddle sores . I can ride all day on an endurance road bike without problems and the same clothing however.

As far as I can see, exactly the same thing applies to the Hummingbird bike. As a roadie at heart, I like my handlebars 7cm lower than the saddle.

Guess that would depend on your inside leg/saddle height. I agree it's a bit of a problem for something that's intended as a fast folding road bike.

bigmonka

I'd like to see a picture of someone on a train/tube with the bike folded as it looks like it's pretty bulky when folded, even if it is very light.

pete54

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19779239#p19779239]BigMonka[/url] wrote:

I'd like to see a picture of someone on a train/tube with the bike folded as it looks like it's pretty bulky when folded, even if it is very light.

Yes, it looks massive when folded, maybe twice the size of a Brompton.