I have seen fold-up bikes before, and none of them were very impressive. The first I ever saw was back in the eighties, in the Sharper Image Catalog. If I were to find a picture of that particular bike, then I would post it here so you could have a good laugh.

A student name Dominic Hargreaves has won the James Dyson Award for his innovative folding bike that is appropriately named The Contortionist. As you can see, the whole frame fits within the wheel’s 26 inch circumference.

The rest forms a convenient handle that can be dragged around by the rider when the bike is not in use. It reminds me of modern luggage that you see now, which seems to require a retractable handlebar and tiny wheels.

One of the problems with folding bikes was the issue of where to put them after they are folded. They can’t take up too much space, and many earlier folding bike models used smaller wheels. The end result looked like some sort of scooter.

The Contortionist might be a bit more spacious, but which would you rather have: an entire bike leaning against your office wall, or just the wheel? Sure, you could put your bike on a rack outside, but how safe is that?

Hopefully, Mr. Hargreaves will find a manufacturer for his invention, because his forthright thinking is just what we need in an era where more people should ride bikes rather than drive.

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