Hummingbird 6.5 kg Folding Bike

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craciunptr
Posts: 114
Joined: Sun Apr 29, 2012 8:32 pm

by craciunptr

Hi All,

Ever since I got on my first bike I became obsessed with performance of the parts and weight. Even though I am not a massive rider, although in the recent years I have started riding my road bike almost every Sunday, the Idea of the bicycle as a mechanic contraption fascinated me. So I have been building and upgrading bikes for more than 15 years now. What amazes me most is that in this forum I can find endless inspiration from fellow forum members. The love and dedication to each project is very rewarding to follow.

As a interest point I j wanted to share with you my Hummingbird project, one of the lightest folding bikes on the market. I have stated designing this bike about 6 years ago when I wanted to get my girlfriend into cycling and wanted her to have an easy and accessible bike to ride to work. I am a big cycling commute advocate and I push everyone around me to try and get on a bike and out of a car! explore the city enjoy the freedom! Because Ligia lived on the 5 floor in a tiny flat it had to be a folding bike and since I couldn't find a folding bike light enough I decided to create my own.

The first step was to simplify the fold to only 3 steps. Removing the hinge in the frame saves weight.

The bike is currently a single speed, I went for a ride through London and out towards Bromley and I had so much fun.

For the ride I have beefed up the gearing, as the standard one is a 48T -13T rear which is good for city riding but quite limited for longer journeys, to 53t -12T.

On my road bike I usually start feeling tired/ sore after 4 hours on the saddle, due to the stiffness of the frame, surprisingly the Hummingbird was amazingly comfortable, I think this is due to the longer post, absorbing all the bumps of the road.

Image

My plan is to convert the bike to a 10 speed with a rear derailleur. I will keep you posted on progress.

Next thing to do is to order a new wheelset.
Last edited by craciunptr on Fri Mar 29, 2019 9:55 pm, edited 5 times in total.

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Klaster_1
Posts: 1390
Joined: Mon Aug 15, 2016 10:25 am
Location: Paphos, Cyprus

by Klaster_1

Not so sure about the lightest at 6.5kg, have you seen this?
Last edited by Klaster_1 on Wed Mar 06, 2019 10:00 am, edited 1 time in total.

by Weenie


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Mr.Gib
Posts: 5577
Joined: Fri Mar 18, 2005 4:12 pm
Location: eh?

by Mr.Gib

Klaster_1 wrote:
Wed Mar 06, 2019 3:23 am
No so sure about the lightest at 6.5kg, have you seen this?
Well I guess we are sure about the lightest. Humming Bird will have to change their marketing. Maybe a name change to sparrow or maybe even crow. Way to kill a guy's dream. Can't help myself - this made me laugh, fell off my chair - sorry to the OP - your bike is quite nice even if it is not the lightest.
wheelsONfire wrote: When we ride disc brakes the whole deal of braking is just like a leaving a fart. It happens and then it's over. Nothing planned and nothing to get nervous for.

craciunptr
Posts: 114
Joined: Sun Apr 29, 2012 8:32 pm

by craciunptr

Sorry for the marketing blurb - I have amended my post :)

The plan is to invest in some nicer parts for this because at the moment it is pretty much stock. With some nice WW parts I bet I can get it much lower. My main goal really is to get the bike as close to replacing my road bike as possible. So a 1x 10 setup is what I am after

It's not going to be easy, it's not going to happen fast.. but I will get there eventually.

mike
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Posts: 2994
Joined: Tue Mar 18, 2003 9:42 pm

by mike

personally i would not spend so much on ww'ing a folding bike because they are naturally heavy to begin with. i would only replace with lighter parts as existing parts wear out/break

Raxel
Posts: 1037
Joined: Wed Feb 27, 2008 3:41 pm

by Raxel

Here's the world's lightest folding bike, weighing 4345gr.
It has FULL WW treatment BTW (schmolke handlebar/seatpost, dash saddle, THM crank, AX brake, custom wrapped carbon frame and handlepost, etc)
IMG_20160730_185540_HDR.jpg
IMG_20160730_192858_HDR.jpg

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



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