Lightweight, light footprint, easy to fold in seconds, and wonderful to ride — what more do you need for enjoying outdoor transit? Claimed to be the lightest and fastest folding bicycle in the world, the Hummingbird’s name is no coincidence. You can easily take Hummingbird into the elevator, take the Hummingbird on the metro, and take the Hummingbird into the office. It is the consummate commuter bike, reportedly three kilos lighter than the closest competitor.
Easy mobility combined with more freedom is a common wish, whether you live in New York City or Kansas City, and that is how the passion for bicycling often begins. Out of the house and down the street in a flash you can go. Petre Craciun’s design reflects his own wish to move freely. Indeed it became his motive force for the creation of the Hummingbird. He saw the appeal for a folding bike lighter than anything else on the market.
One, two, three — the simplicity is wonderful for people who mix riding the bicycle and jumping the metro or bus. “Since buying my first BMX bike at the age of 14, I’ve become more and more obsessed with the idea of going everywhere freely. It was this desire to remove the restraints of other more cumbersome folding bikes that sparked the idea to design a transportable option. Hummingbird’s functionality, coupled with its eye-catching design, makes it the stand-out product for the sophisticated commuter.”
It is also the first move into cycling for the British motorsport company Prodrive. And what a first! Collapsible in just 5 seconds and weighing only 6.9 kg — 3 kg lighter than any comparable folding bike — the company brought certain engineering expertise to the table to create the Hummingbird. The bike will also have an electric boosted option available in 2018.
Craciun, a London-based designer and keen cyclist, apparently found that existing folding bikes on the market were heavy and unattractive, thought “Why not design my own?,” and then approached Prodrive at the beginning of 2016 to refine the bike. He optimized its ride and handling and created the carbon frame so that it could be produced in volume. It is now sold globally.
“Prodrive’s engineers carried out a rigorous design and development process using the latest computer aided design and analysis software, to optimise the bike’s rigidity while minimising weight, the same approach it takes with all its race and rally car. This ensured the bike passed all the ISO bicycle safety tests at the first attempt.
“Each bike is hand-built at Prodrive’s headquarters by the M40 at Banbury, with each frame individually numbered and available in four colours. A visual carbon frame is also available with the herringbone carbon weave laid up precisely and lacquered to give a perfect finish.”
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