Does Ford See The End Approaching?

Ford designers have had a go at electric bikes. The annual Further With Ford trends conference in Palo Alto saw the release of a video touting the new Ford MoDe e-bike:



The bike has a couple of interesting features, such as replaceable front and rear ends, allowing it to be modified for different environments.
But anyone who has been paying attention is used to re-thinks of basic cycle design: from frame and gear versions (like touring frames or fixed gearing) to collapsible bikes and extended frame transport cycles, and the wide variety of three- and four-wheel designs. This is one of the joys of bikes--they can be altered, mashed, modified, run through a bike kitchen or an art collective and still function.
But two things stand out about the Ford announcement; one, that they see a chance to make a buck, meaning the car alternative movement has become large enough for a massive multinational to pay attention. And two, that an iconic "American" company's imprimatur might bring the movement to middle-America's attention. Neither of these are a bad thing.

Yike!

Well, back in August, I posted the teaser video for the new Yike Bike. Well, it's here. A radical re-design of two-wheel transport, and costing about $5,000 apparently.





I have to say that I love the way it folds into a shoulder bag. Looks really interesting--I'd love to try one.

Teaser

For a new NZ-built electric bicycle.



To quote:
“YikeBike is a super light small electric folding bike with
carbon frame weighing in at less than 10kg. The radical
mini-farthing wheel formation is designed to fold into
less than a third the volume of any other 20 inch folding
bike. It has a powerful 800W motor and anti-skid
regenerative brakes. Given the super small size and
weight it can easily be taken on busses, trains, cars and
easily stored under a desk or in a cupboard.”