A Folding Bike With Wheels That Fold Too-Say What?
Folding bikes have been around forever. But a folding bike with folding wheels? We’ve heard of a lot of unbelievable things, but never folding wheels. How do you even make folding wheels? We find out.
Folding bikes are great for storing or riding public transportation before venturing out on your bike. They’re convenient and easy to manage. Most all of the folding bikes feature handlebars and frames that fold or collapse. Now, there’s the Tuck Bike that adds folding wheels for super compact storage.
Alex Animashaun is an engineer working on folding wheels for 4 years
Engineer Alex Animashaun has come up with a novel addition with wheels you can fold. You can see for yourself in the attached videos just how they work. Animashaun has worked for companies like Jaguar and Mobius Motors to name just two. Through those connections, he has established a string of Asian suppliers to make his folding bike a reality.
Conceived in 2017, the patent-pending novelty is set to reach production next year. It is an update of his most recent version from March 2020. And rather than the typical small wheels of a folding bike, the Tuck has 28-inch wheels.
Are folding wheels safe?
Can a folding wheel be trusted? According to Animashaun, an outside testing firm has certified his wheels. It meets both the international standard for reliability (ISO 4210-7:2014) and the American Consumer standard (CPSC 16 CFR 1512.18 (j)).
It has three key folding features. The least compact is what is called the Curtsy mode, which folds the handlebars down. Next is the Quickie, adding to the first mode by folding the frame and tucking the wheels into a side-by-side configuration. This takes about five seconds to make happen. Folded up like this it still is able to be rolled around on its wheels.
The “Full Monty” collapses the Tuck to the size of a suitcase
The most extreme folded configuration is the Full Monty. In this configuration, it comes out to be about the size of a suitcase. To do this both wheels are folded into three sections and stacked inside of the frame. Those tires areGecko Rubber airless tires, so they’ll never go flat. That’s just another advantage to the Tuck bike.
Available in both large and medium sizes, the aluminum frame weighs only 30 lbs. Tektro disc brakes and integrated casters are part of the single-speed package. With those casters, you can still roll the bike around even with the tires collapsed.
The retail price is just under $2,000. It is scheduled to start delivering to buyers by October 2022. If you happened to get in as an early backer you can snag one for only $1,695.
