Folding bikes have gained a lot of popularity over the last few years, mostly due to the fact that they’re incredibly convenient to store. Sure, they don’t exactly feel like a normal bike (I mean, those little wheels make sure of that), but people are willing to overlook that if it means they can keep the darn bike under a table inside the house. The Helix is a new folding bike that wants to change that.
Unlike other folding bikes, the Helix comes with full-sized 24-inch wheels, so it looks, feels, and rides exactly like a regular bike. Despite that, it manages to collapse into a highly-portable package, measuring just 23 × 26 × 9.5 inches when folded down, making it small enough to hide in a closet, pack in a suitcase, and even carry when you’re taking the subway to work.
The Helix achieves the impressive collapsed size by using a side-by-side folding technique that puts the wheels beside the frame and between the cranks, making for a highly-efficient use of available space. Even better, it uses spring-loaded locking mechanisms that use a tube-in-tube design to ensure the bike will never fold or unfold unexpectedly, preventing potential accidents while riding in busy roads. It’s lightweight, too, tipping the scales at just 20 pounds, so you can carry it by hand without requiring inhuman feats of strength, all while supporting riders up to 250 pounds.
Bike specs include titanium frame, fork, and swingarm, a custom stem, a 580mm-wide handlebar, SRAM S350-1 crankset, Shimano SLX brakes, and 24-inch Kenda Kwest tires. It comes with three options in drivetrain (single-speed, 10-speed, 11-speed), adjustable saddle height (accommodates between 4’7’’ and 6’4’’ riders), adjustable saddle position (can be moved forwards and backwards), and a stem that can be adjusted by 20mm.
A Kickstarter campaign is currently running to fund the Helix. Pledges to reserve a unit starts at $1,575.