NCycle, a skinny concept foldable electric bike
The vast majority of current e-bikes are still 100+ year old designs converted somehow to electric, and you can tell it just by looking at them; to most people they still are almost the same, odd mix of tubes and wires and the extra electric hardware adds up in quite a clumsy way… Our lifestyles and needs have dramatically changed since the late 19th century and these structures today are unnecessarily complicated and [do not offer] the extra functionality required in our digital age.
Despite being around for over a century, bicycles are ideally suited to meet today’s urban transport needs – even if issues remain in the form of theft-prevention, storage, and safety. Designers Skyrill and Marin Myftiu have covered its fair share of bike designs which aim to tackle these problems, and nCycle is the latest such concept to hit our collective radar, sporting a modern design and some high-tech features to match.
Designers Skyrill and Marin Myftiu explain:
Doing away with cables, most of the system consists of the handle bar itself. With dual handles for multiple positions and comfort, the handle bar is appropriately loop-shaped to fit most of the poles and steel bars in the city. Closing the loop when locked is again a hardened steel tube sliding from one of the handles, which makes the locking [mechanism] virtually impossible to break or cut with any kind of man-powered pliers, in the end, making it almost impossible to steal the vehicle.
nCycle boasts several innovations, including a smartphone dock and integrated holographic display, an easy folding mechanism for more convenient carrying and storage, and a novel security mechanism dubbed “nLock.”
Alongside a battery-powered electric motor, Bluetooth speakers and integrated headlights, the nCycle concept also calls for a holographic display which sits atop the handlebars and mirrors the screen of the rider’s smartphone. This display could provide directions, speed and other information, while the smartphone remains stowed safely away in a dock hidden in the bike’s frame.
In addition, nCycle seeks to offer a more intuitive folding system for easier storage, and this is said to be a three-step process which can be performed quickly and with little effort.
The nCycle concept is the brainchild of designers Marin Myftiu and Skyrill. If it makes it from the drawing board to manufacture, it could be offered in several iterations to suit budget and need, including a basic “no frills” model and a unit with a comparatively expensive electric motor.
Fingers crossed the presumably significant practical hurdles of such a bike can be worked out, because it’s certainly an appealing looking method of urban transport.
Source: : Marin Myftiu