Bendable bicycle wraps itself around a pole - by design

Parking your two-wheeler in a shady neighborhood, but left your secondary lock at home? No problem -- to protect your wheels, just bend your bike around a nearby post and thread your U-lock through the whole kit at once. That's the idea behind UK designer Kevin Scott's folding bicycle, which is rigid enough to freely ride, but releases its flexible ratcheting mechanism when you push a lever on the side. The design won the 21-year-old student £500 at the New Designers exhibition in London this week. He's presently looking for partners to help commercialize the concept, which looks more practical than some, so we expect it'll be only a few years before you'll see his creation zipping down the street. One question, though -- why not go the whole nine yards and give it a built-in lock, too?

[remmus2k Posted Jul 11th 2010 6:54PM]

People will still find ways to steal it, just unbend it

[JonnyB Posted Jul 11th 2010 6:55PM]

@remmus2k
That's how the person is ganna look like after he gets hit by a car

[nk Posted Jul 11th 2010 6:58PM]

@remmus2k
I dont think that I will be abel to ride that bicycle

[BrandonHarris Posted Jul 11th 2010 7:25PM]

@remmus2k

His haircut isn't aerodynamic enough to ride a bike.

[uckApple Posted Jul 11th 2010 8:14PM]

@remmus2k

The title should have been "Bike wraps around poles, and our hearts"

^.^

[uckApple Posted Jul 11th 2010 8:16PM]

@remmus2k

Ladies and gentleman!

1. Buy a $699 bendable bike so no one can steal it
2. Buy a $5 lock to lock up your current bike.

Choice is yours!

[McKirf Posted Jul 11th 2010 8:19PM]

@remmus2k

Finally! We can all sit-and-spin!

[Lucas Posted Jul 11th 2010 8:29PM]

@remmus2k You obviously didn't read. It says you can add your own lock to it.

[McKirf Posted Jul 11th 2010 8:50PM]

@remmus2k

YES! My girlfriend and I were looking for a new toy. This should do it!

[rmbrown09 Posted Jul 11th 2010 9:00PM]

@McKirf Sex toy

[brrip Posted Jul 11th 2010 9:01PM]

@McKirf come on man, there are better toys to own with your girlfriend

[CptnDriveThru Posted Jul 11th 2010 11:36PM]

@uckApple I didn't know the price was set. Especially since they're still looking to commercialize it. And this is a great idea for a public bike program if they can be made inexpensively.

[A25i Posted Jul 12th 2010 12:19AM]

@angelusp
Then everyone gets wet.

[shadowj0 Posted Jul 12th 2010 12:37AM]

@remmus2k

The fact that they gave him just 500 Pounds (Br.) is just insulting... that's a pretty good idea. Built in lock would have made him a million Pounds (Br.) richer.

[Ryzvonusef Posted Jul 12th 2010 3:50AM]

@uckApple
Does option one come in Unicorn-white with a fruit logo? In that case, SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY! :D

[waffle911 Posted Jul 12th 2010 4:14AM]

@shadowj0 The £500 was just for a design award, it's not like he sold them the rights or anything.

[brian fantana Posted Jul 12th 2010 5:43AM]

@uckApple

Good luck with that $5 lock in London.

[ranhalt Posted Jul 12th 2010 10:16AM]

@nk I think I cane

[dardub Posted Jul 12th 2010 12:15PM]

@uckApple
Besides making it easier to lock up, it will be easier to fit in my trunk.

[Bratan Posted Jul 12th 2010 2:51PM]

@McKirf That's what she said ? :)

[owen66 Posted Jul 13th 2010 12:46AM]

@uckApple

i know this is old, but a $5 lock isnt going to do shit. i forgot my (ironically named) Fuhgeddaboutit NYC Kryptonite lock once while riding into work. i figured i was chaining up right in front of the revolving doors to my office in tribeca (a fancier neighborhood in manhattan) so i just went down to the bike shop and picked up a Kryptonite cable because it was cheaper. i got the heavier cable which i think is about 10mm thick and figured if it just gets me to 6pm (still plenty of daylight out as it was mid summer) that i'd be fine. i chained up at about 10am and when i went out for lunch, the bike was gone. left was my new cable snipped in two like it was butter. yeah it was a thinner cable, but i figured i'd be safe right outside an office building where there are always tons of people. lesson learned.

[Fredfrombelgium Posted Jul 11th 2010 7:00PM]

And then they cut the pole, VOILA

[tobsmonster2 Posted Jul 11th 2010 7:31PM]

@Fredfrombelgium
It should come with a pole built in.

[McKirf Posted Jul 11th 2010 8:22PM]

@tobsmonster2

it does! Just take off the seat!

[John Doe Posted Jul 11th 2010 10:29PM]

@Fredfrombelgium Yah because the 20 minutes of someone (lets be generous 10 minutes) sawing down a pole will go unnoticed. Bonus points if power is going through it.

I swear to God that the people on Engadget actively looks for ways to trash a product, no matter how 'tarded or unlikely their suggestion is.

[manofchao5 Posted Jul 11th 2010 11:21PM]

@John Doe
dude there are a lot of stupid criminals out there
would love to see a video where somebody catches a criminal cut down a power pole just for a $700 bike

[whiskers Posted Jul 12th 2010 11:57AM]

@John Doe

Yeah, I saw a video a while ago (can't find it right away) of a bunch of people going around setting up bikes and then stealing them, from bolt cutters up to an angle grinder. This was in NYC, one location was Union Square. Nobody gave a damn.

BTW, a good angle grinder will take 10-15 minutes to chew through a good U-lock; cutting one of those breakaway sign poles would probably take a minute or two.

[andrewwg94 Posted Jul 11th 2010 7:00PM]

I wonder what else can "wrap itself around a pole"..

[Jacinth Posted Jul 11th 2010 7:04PM]

@andrewwg94 Your mom.

[Scrtcwlvl Posted Jul 11th 2010 7:25PM]

@andrewwg94 Apparently Demetri Martin...
When did he start selling bendable bikes?

[BrownSound Posted Jul 11th 2010 8:00PM]

@Jacinth

bazingo!

[Exbloder Posted Jul 11th 2010 8:39PM]

@Jacinth Yeah, the funniest things always include someone's mom

[rutter9 Posted Jul 11th 2010 10:48PM]

@Exbloder

Looks like Dimitri Martin might be onto something here!

[Colin S Posted Jul 12th 2010 3:54AM]

@andrewwg94 A baby launched at high velocity towards the pole.

[oahceasgnikgneas Posted Jul 11th 2010 7:00PM]

The problem I am thinking of is that it can be illegal to lock your bicycle to some municipal properties such as walkway railings and sign poles.

[psc2 Posted Jul 11th 2010 7:04PM]

@oahceasgnikgneas

Knowing my local authority, it would definately be illegal, and they'd have a team of 50 people doing a stakeout to fine the guy when he returns... They might as well just whitelist a bunch of activities we're allowed to do/

[Fredfrombelgium Posted Jul 11th 2010 7:01PM]

But will it blend?

[FallenArms3 Posted Jul 11th 2010 7:02PM]

Wait, what's the point without a built-in lock? It's just a bendy bicycle. Unless I'm missing something, you've still forgotten your lock at home, and you're still going to get your fancy bike stolen regardless of whether it's wrapped around a pole.

[c w j Posted Jul 11th 2010 8:38PM]

@FallenArms3

It said "secondary lock", meaning that meant to lock the wheel that the u-lock can't reach.

[waffle911 Posted Jul 12th 2010 4:20AM]

@FallenArms3 Sounds like what you're after is a Biomega Boston, wherein the bike has a structurally integral cable that is used to lock it up when folded in half. Cut the cable and the bike is unrideable because it can't be locked into the unfolded position. The fact that cutting the cable renders the bike useless is also readily apparent, so as to deter potential thieves from even trying.

[GaryZ Posted Jul 11th 2010 7:03PM]

I just wanna watch what happens when you push the lever while riding it...

[inestine Posted Jul 12th 2010 12:37AM]

@GaryZ Best Comment EVER!!!

[rutter9 Posted Jul 12th 2010 9:21AM]

@GaryZ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8PPVfZmbJs&feature=related

[FrmrPSPCoderTOPAppStoreDev Posted Jul 11th 2010 7:03PM]

The dude looks cross-eyed.

[FrmrPSPCoderTOPAppStoreDev Posted Jul 11th 2010 7:07PM]

@FrmrPSPCoderTOPAppStoreDev
I mean slow-eyed.

[Charles Nguyen Posted Jul 11th 2010 9:20PM]

@FrmrPSPCoderTOPAppStoreDev
It's his charm point.

[ZuurKen Posted Jul 11th 2010 7:04PM]

Yea, a built in lock would be great.
Had my bike stolen 5 time in the last 3 years living here in the Netherlands. You would have thought I'd have come up this concept.

[iRaNDrOiD Posted Jul 11th 2010 10:43PM]

@ZuurKen
Sorry about your loss again Spain...NOT!!!

Arriba España!!

[iRaNDrOiD Posted Jul 11th 2010 10:46PM]

@ZuurKen
if i could only spell "against" :(

[ZuurKen Posted Jul 12th 2010 4:12AM]

@iRaNDrOiD
Well am not dutch i just live here, and I was backing Spain all the way!!!