ThinBike: full-sized foldable bike folds flat in small space

Instead of a traditional folding bike, designer/entrepreneur Graham Hill (also founder of treehugger.com) wanted something simpler and cleaner.

Beginning with a high performing (i.e. light) full-sized urban bike, Hill worked with cycling manufacturer Schindelhauer to create the ThinBike: a bicycle that is fast on city streets, but tucks neatly out of the way in his small apartment. Instead of looking for a new way to swivel, hinge or fold a bike into a more compact package, Hill and the Schindelhauer designers focused on flattening the bike, but leaving it vertically full-sized.

They added a Speedlifter Twist to the handlebars to allow them to spin 90 degrees, eliminating the extra width on the top of the bike. Down below, they replaced the pedals with MKS folding pedals. The result: a bicycle that snaps and clicks flat within 5 seconds for passing through subway turnstyles, walking down city sidewalks or climbing the stairs of Hill's 6 floor walkup.

To create a bike clean enough for apartment living (and commuting), the designers swapped a chain for an oil-free Gates Carbon Drive belt.

More info on original story: http://faircompanies.com/videos/view/...
Graham's LifeEdited project: lifeedited.com
ThinBike to be produced by: http://www.schindelhauerbikes.com/