DIY KIT BIKE THAT FITS INTO ONE BAG

Bikes certainly are a great mode of transportation – they’re affordable, efficient, eco-friendly and unlikely to get you stuck in a traffic jam on your way to work. Still, once you’ve done with your cycling for the day and need to get on a bus or metro or climb a flight of stairs, there’s no denying that your bicycle may not be as light and easy to stash away as it is to ride. Well, that’s why the Indian-based company Lucid Design came up with the remarkably innovative concept of the Kit Bike. Unlike other conventional bikes, Kit Bike is designed to dismantle in a flash when you need to store it away, and once packed up, it can fit in an inconspicuous leather bag for ultra-easy transport.

“Conventional bikes are awkward in every way except when you ride them, and the Kit Bike was designed to make problems of shipping, traveling with and commuting with a bike a thing of the past,” Lucid Design creative director Amit Mirchandani says. “It’s simple, minimal and cool, unlike folding bikes that tend to be complex.”

And how would the Kit Bike actually work? How can you assemble it and take it apart? Is there any chance that it may collapse under your weight right there, during the ride? How safe is it, really? Well, for starters, the bike itself comprises 21 parts that twist and lock into place easily with the help of just one turnkey, without the need for you to tinker around with a bunch of complex tools every time you want to assemble or disassemble it. The company states that “the entire bike can be assembled or dismantled from one side, making the process extremely simple and quick.” And here’s how do you do that exactly – the white, diamond-shaped frame of the bike would be built from hollow aluminum tubes held together by several twist-together joints, and then fixed to the steel hubs with powder-coated aluminum rims so you can prop it against the wall for easy assembling or dismantling.

The seat would be manufactured from high-grade leather, while the handlebars would sport cork grips. Instead of the standard chain, the drivetrain would feature a belt like the ones used in many high-end bikes currently available on the market, so you need not worry about getting all smeared by machine oils when taking the bike apart or putting it back together again.  Once dismantled, the Kit Bike would be extremely portable as all of its parts neatly stash away in a circular leather bag, with two separate compartments on each side for the wheels and a central storage unit for other bike components.

Earlier this month, Lucid Design won the Red Dot 2014 Design Award for their Kit Bike concept won and although the company has not released the production date yet, you should stay tuned for updates if you want to get your first super-folding bike as soon as it hits the market. [via] watch video below