Foldable bikes have been in great demand recently for its portability and lightweight, but Italian designer Gianluca Sada has pushed the boundaries of cutting edge bike design by creating a bicycle that can be folded to the size of an umbrella. The Sadler Bike is a hubless bike featuring a frame that folds away for maximum portability.
Regular foldable bikes come with large wheels and limited portability, or super compact but with very small wheels – either of which often hinders the biking comfort levels. In an attempt to address this issue, the Sada bike utilizes standard bicycle dimension with 26-inch spokeless wheels that are attached to the frame using an anchoring system that allows you to fold the bike efficiently, using its special package that is like a trendy backpack.
“The starting point of this research is the study of art that starts from an overview of the urban individual mobility to reach, then, the folding bicycle.” explains Gianluca Sada. He adds, “Some studies have been done about characteristics of both components of frame and wheels to analyse their behaviour during the application of loads (interference and FEM analysis). In conclusion, the project may pave the way for a new system of mobility outside the classical schemes, widely accessible and easily transportable. Personal style and extreme versatility give dynamism to the traditional bicycle, the subject increasingly required in this environmentally friendly age.”
The design definitely seems to address the portability issue, but its performance still remains questionable. Why? While traditional bikes get their strength from the tension created in the spokes, the Sada bike puts all the tension on the rims, which simply adds mass to the outside wheel. Still in prototype phase, Gianluca is seeking funding to further develop the design and manufacture a light weight and high performance foldable city bike or to put in the designers words, a bike that is “Elegantly simple, simply innovative”.
