While most people are far more comfortable on a bicycle than on anything else, it doesn’t mean most bicycles are suitable for the demands a busy city commute places on someone. Even the lightest bicycles can be ungainly to carry around and a pain to lock up everywhere, making them less than stellar options for getting around quickly.
The A-Bike Electric takes the compact nature of Sir Clive Sinclair’s original idea and supercharges it with a dual chain drive and brushless motor, featuring a 24V battery providing up to 15 miles of assisted pedaling even up hills. Its 26-pound foldable frame uses telescopic design in order to fold up into an extremely portable, place-it-in-a-bookbag form in about 10 seconds, making the A-Bike a worthy alternative to most commute cutting options. An A-Bike can be had for $900 provided its $76,000 campaign sees success by August 13th, 2015. Backers will be able to hop on and ride in October 2015.
The A-Bike Electric is successful at being compact, cleverly designed, and light while still retaining the familiarity with bicycles most people are comfortable with. Being able to take it along on the train or into a coffee shop is a convenience would prefer versus leaving a bicycle unattended outside. The Impossible E-Bike attempted something similar but ultimately never materialized, leaving a huge gap for products like the A-Bike Electric to be successful.
The Premise. Paraplegics, quadriplegics and other disabled people are less mobile than the rest of us not necessarily because of their disabilities, but because there aren’t enough creative modes of transportation made for them. Designers need to think outside of the box more to accommodate the needs of everyone.