Kickstarter-- saddle-less folding bicycle

[Black]

RAMd®d wrote:
When I saw "saddle-less" I wondered what one would be sitting on…

When I saw "saddle-less" I wondered what it would be like to be constantly standing on the pedals.


I would have to try a model before I give them money.

That would be a given, for me.

The weight seems biased to the rear. It's possible some people might be more prone to be launched on hard braking, if they were careless, of if they hit some object that stopped them hard. The handlebars are adjustable so unless one is also very tall as well as uncoordinated or unlucky, I don't think the Flying W is a big risk.


Or is that why it is geared so low and has no leverage, you can't go fast enough to hurt yourself....

That's a leap. The overall gearing is a result of the small rear tire and not the sprockets' ratio. I'm guessing that the idea was to keep the bike compact, not to limit it's speed. Same with the short crankset; it's a most likely a compromise for portability, not safety. As for no leverage, a bit of an exaggeration. It's designed for urban use so I'm guessing (again, yeah, I know) that a large percentage of the target market could find it an acceptable compromise. It's not a mountain bike.


but wet weather would cut use a huge amount.

I'm not the bicyclist I once was, not that I was a big-time cyclist, but it seems to me that's a problem with most all bikes that don't have some kind of shroud or canopy. Fenders are available though tire selection may be nil. Even with wearing rain gear I got soaked and gave that up in a hurry.


I wonder if inductive charging of super capacitors to supply energy for climbing hills would fix the gears/leverage problem.

That probably wouldn't be much help until you add a motor. Now you're talking more weight, any maybe size, certainly complexity, the need for charging, and expense. I have no idea what this bike will cost if it gets off the ground.

Personally, I like this. It would be adequate for a lot of parks near me that allow bikes and don't have dedicated bike trails. I don't ride a bike anymore because of traffic concerns. But something like this could be tossed in the trunk and taken to a location conducive to safe/safer riding.

And I would ride this on the sidewalk if I wanted. Illegal, but it's small size would be pretty much like riding a scooter.

Yes, I see a lot of good things about this bike. Here's hoping it goes commercial and doesn't cost more than I'm willing to pay.

(tu)