Fashionable folding bikes

Gigi

RadPower

TWO folding bikes made news this week, Gigi and the Rad.

The Gigi is a Dutch take on “a better folding bike”, while the Rad is the RadMini from RadPower Bikes in Seattle, and combines an electric folder, fat bike and cargo bike “into a small, folding workhorse that can motor or pedal-assist groceries, tools and other cargo wherever you need to get to”.

The GiGi Coöperatief, founded and registered in The Netherlands, teamed up with C10 Design & Development to develop an alternative to the folding bicycle. Their design brief was to create an easy-to-handle, lightweight, practical, smart and contemporary Li-ion battery powered folding scooter.

The end result is the first foldable moped that folds in 10 seconds with either a 400 Wh or 600 Wh lithium-ion battery pack than powers a 500 W Brushless PMDC motor with dual belt drive to send the Gigi 25km/h for an hour on a charge.

Front and rear 90 mm drum brakes bring the eight-inch wheels to a halt.

To recharge either of the battery packs takes 3,5 hours.

In Seattle, the RadMini differs from other folding bikes in offering two standard extendable racks over both four-inch wide fat tyres. The wheels are 20 inches high, giving a 750-watt rear hub motor the leverage to carry a total payload of 125 kg, using a seven-speed Shimano drivetrain to vary the ratios.

The RadMini is powered by a 11,6-Ah lithium-ion battery that is good for 24 km at 34km/h on its own steam and about 80 km of range with pedal assistance. Recharging takes between two to four hours with the included two-amp charger.

In Europe, the Gigi sells for €3 156 (R55 538), but can also be leased to own as Gigi Coöperatief’s members cleverly opt to take the risk of people ­disappearing with the bike for the benefit of getting an extra bit of interest that would otherwise have gone to the banks.

In the U.S, the RadMini costs $1 499 (R23 566) and the group does not export yet, but invites clients outside the U.S. to e-mail for quotes. As shipping to Canada costs $400, South Africans can expect more of the same.

By comparisons, Italy’s Fat Bad, a 250 Watt folding bike that stole the show at EuroBike last year, can be preordered for €1 598.