Renown British motorsports tuner, Prodrive, has enjoined the process of creating the world’s lightest folding bike, and bringing it to market.
The Oxfordshire-based Prodrive, who’s known for working alongside such automobile marques as Aston Martin, MINI and VW, has taken their vast composite know-how and stepped-in to help bike designer, Petre Craciun, to get the 6.7 kilogram Hummingbird into the final production phase.
The concept of the Hummingbird was simple, after Craciun was unable to find a folding bike that was both lightweight and transportable, he set-out to create one that was more in-keeping with the demands of urban cycling. Moreover, Craciun wanted his bike to incorporate a unique folding mechanism that would keep the chain tensioned when folded, which would allow it to be wheeled along the ground.
By the time his Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign finished last year, Craciun had raised £ 52,487 through 103 backers, and it was in May that he first announced that Prodrive would be brought in as manufacturing partner.
He said: “Most folding bikes are at least 12kg, which is a lot to carry up and down stairs or on and off trains.
“I wanted to design something really different, not only half the weight of existing folding bikes, but a product with distinctive styling that would be eye-catching, instantly recognisable and something people would be proud to be seen riding.”
Prodrive says, the initial test bikes will be produced next month, with production models becoming available in early 2017.
The company’s founder and chairman, David Richards – former team principal of the Benetton and BAR Formula 1 teams and ex-chairman of Aston Martin, said: “We are always looking for interesting and innovative projects where Prodrive can inject its technical and engineering expertise.
“Since I first met Petre last year and saw his concept it’s taken us about 12 months to bring it to fruition.
“The Hummingbird combines all the key attributes of style, innovation and technical excellence that Prodrive stands for and we’re very proud of the end result,” he added.
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Prodrive has brought the Hummingbird lightweight folding bike concept to reality.
The British motorsport and advanced technology business has refined the design and re-engineered key components to ready the bike for volume production.
The Hummingbird weighs just 6.7 kg, making it the lightest folding bike in the world, thanks mainly to its carbon frame, carbon forks and seat post. The frame was designed and is being manufactured by Prodrive Composites in Milton Keynes with further parts production and final assembly carried out at Prodrive’s headquarters in Banbury.
Hummingbird has a unique and simple folding mechanism in which the trailing arm pivots around the crank. Unlike other folding bikes, this ensures the chain always remains in tension, even when fully folded. It also allows the bike to be wheeled along the ground when folded.
The bike was conceived by Petre Craciun, a London-based designer and keen cyclist. He found that existing folding bikes on the market were heavy and unattractive so decided to design his own.
“Most folding bikes are at least 12kg, which is a lot to carry up and down stairs or on and off trains,” said Craciun. “I wanted to design something really different, not only half the weight of existing folding bikes, but a product with distinctive styling that would be eye-catching, instantly recognisable and something people would be proud to be seen riding.”
Prodrive will produce the first test bikes in October with production bikes going on sale early next year.
David Richards, Chairman of Prodrive, said: “We are always looking for interesting and innovative projects where Prodrive can inject its technical and engineering expertise. Since I first met Petre last year and saw his concept it’s taken us about 12 months to bring it to fruition. The Hummingbird combines all the key attributes of style, innovation and technical excellence that Prodrive stands for and we’re very proud of the end result.”
Hummingbird Bike
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