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YikeBike unveils less-expensive folding electric bike, Jackie Chan dons celebratory tuxedo
Our main complaint with the folding electric YikeBike -- besides the not-quite-catchy name – was the $3,795 price tag. The company's trying to ease the price pain with the Fusion, a new model that'll cost you $1,995. The savings come from replacing the carbon fiber body with aluminum and composites, which does, unfortunately, add about 6.6 pounds, pushing the total weight over 30 pounds. But that shouldn't hamper portability, and you'll still get six miles of travel on a single charge (or 12 miles with an optional battery backpack). YikeBike will sell the cheaper model through a network of distributors, allowing it to expand its customer base beyond the 250 bikes sold so far, to, among others, Google and Jackie Chan. So if you previously couldn't afford to follow in the kung fu master's tracks, well, now you have one less excuse. [Thanks, Dan]
YikeBike foldable electric bicycle hands-on
The Honda U3-X might look all futuristic and highly portable, but it doesn't pack much speed -- probably for the sake of stability. The Segway? Far too bulky, plus it's so yesterday (sorry, Woz). This brings us to the YikeBike -- a bizarre-looking foldable electric bicycle that was announced back in September. Since then this mini whizzer's been given a slight bump to its top speed (now 25km/h or 15.5mph) and range (10km; 40-minute charge time), while weighing just 22 pounds thanks to its carbon fiber composite frame. Once you've folded the bike up, you can even wear it using the supplied shoulder strap to go on the bus or subway. During our hands-on, we started off with a bit of a wobble while adjusting to the backward handles, but five minutes later we learned to ignore the conventional cycling posture and leaned slightly further back, plus we got the right grip for the throttle (right) and brake (left). We also found the indicator, front light and horn buttons to be easily accessible by our thumbs. As you will see in the video after the break, we were traveling at fairly high speeds towards the end. The only problem that couldn't be fixed was our legs being a tad short for the pedals, but word has it that YikeBike's planning on releasing a smaller model in the near future. Living in Europe and carrying £2,995 / €3,495 / $4,659 with you? Feel free to pre-order now for a June delivery -- just in time for the summer breeze.%Gallery-89989%
Video: Electric folding YikeBike looks slightly ridiculous, totally practical
You know the opening sequence of The Jetsons where George's flying car folds right up into a briefcase, then he goes inside and kicks his feet up at the desk of the future? Well, we may not have flying cars -- or moving walkways that sweep us to our office chairs for that matter -- but soon we will have the YikeBike, an electric bicycle that tucks neatly into a bag little bigger than a briefcase. Its styling queues are decidedly futuristic penny-farthing, with the large front wheel, tiny rear, and little mustache handlebar, but that front wheel is driven by an electric motor giving a range of 9km and a top speed of 20km/h. No word on how long a full charge takes, but 80 percent requires only 20 minutes. It looks like fun (see for yourself after the break), and is due to start shipping by the middle of next year, but at a cost of €3,900 (over $5,500) it's going to be something of a tall sale for a short ride. %Gallery-71652% [Via WOW-POW]
