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Helix titanium folding bike hits $1m on Kickstarter Helix titanium folding bike hits $1m on Kickstarter Helix titanium folding bike hits $1m on Kickstarter Helix titanium folding bike hits $1m on Kickstarter Helix titanium folding bike hits $1m on Kickstarter Helix titanium folding bike hits $1m on Kickstarter Helix titanium folding bike hits $1m on Kickstarter
Helix folding bike smashes Kickstarter funding goal

Helix titanium folding bike hits $1m on Kickstarter

Funding success story for titanium folding bike
by David Arthur @davearthur
Mon, Sep 14, 2015 10:45
6

The Helix titanium folding bike, touted as the world’s smallest and lightest, has taken Kickstarter by storm, reaching a staggering $1m of backing in the first five days.

The company reports that it reached its funding goal, $120,000, in just one hour. After 24-hours it had achieved five times its original funding goal. At the time of writing, the Helix has $1,227,680 with 17 days to go. That success makes it the most funded bicycle ever on Kickstarter.

- Helix folding bike smashes Kickstarter funding goal

A quick recap on the Helix. It’s a titanium folding bike with the singlespeed version (there are two geared options) weighing just 9k (20lb) which is pretty darn light for a folding bike. It uses 24in wheels, bigger than most folding bikes, and there are no hinges in the frame which the inventors reckons provides ride and handling very similar to a normal bicycle.

The Helix has clearly proved popular, and the company founders have been very open to feedback through Kickstarter. As a result, they have made a number of changes to the Helix. They’ve changed the chainring size to a 42t to provide a more usable gear range, and ensure it copes with hills. They’ve also tweaked the geometry so it can take a longer seatpost, up from 350 to 400mm.

Despite the huge funding success, the company is confident it can deliver current orders on time, which is scheduled for April/May 2016.

More at www.kickstarter.com/projects/330901966/helixtm-the-worlds-best-folding-bike

Kickstarter
helix
Folding bike
David Arthur @davearthur

David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes. 

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6 comments

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cat1commuter | 7 years ago
1 like

I've been following this. Looks like the best design of folding bike, but none of their customers has one yet. They've done a lot of work on the design since, and process engineering for a product like this must be hard. I've got my fingers crossed for them that they get them out of the door, but I'm glad I'm not a Kickstarter backer, or I'd be worried.

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Airzound | 9 years ago
0 likes

"The Helix titanium folding bike, touted as the world’s smallest and lightest…"

Absolute rubbish. All I would say is Brompton.

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bikewithnoname | 9 years ago
0 likes

What I don't understand is how a full ti frame and some trick-ish parts result in a bike that is the same weight as a brompton SL which uses 1950's tech and 5mm thick steel for the main frame?
It's also pretty big once folded, you might get that in the boot of a US "family sedan" but you're going to be vilified for trying to sneak that onto the 7:01 to Waterloo every morning...

Avatar
armb replied to bikewithnoname | 9 years ago
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bikewithnoname wrote:

What I don't understand is how a full ti frame and some trick-ish parts result in a bike that is the same weight as a brompton SL which uses 1950's tech and 5mm thick steel for the main frame?

You need a part titanium Brompton to actually match the weight, but mostly I think the answer is because this is a near full size folding frame, with the advantages and disadvantages that brings.

Meanwhile my local bike shop has a Dahon Helios XX for sale. 7.7kg, or so Dahon claimed when it was launched, and picking it up I can believe it.

I don't need another folding bike (I have a Birdy, which is heavier but folds smaller, and a Dahon Espresso, which is heavier and larger but has 26" wheels, and a Dahon Vitesse that I bought the Birdy to replace when frame cracked and an un-cracked frame I bought more recently but haven't swapped all the bits over yet).

And I'm no longer commuting party by train anyway.

But it's very tempting. I'm half hoping they sell it before I succumb.

Avatar
Rich_cb replied to bikewithnoname | 7 years ago
0 likes
bikewithnoname wrote:

What I don't understand is how a full ti frame and some trick-ish parts result in a bike that is the same weight as a brompton SL which uses 1950's tech and 5mm thick steel for the main frame?
It's also pretty big once folded, you might get that in the boot of a US "family sedan" but you're going to be vilified for trying to sneak that onto the 7:01 to Waterloo every morning...

There's a picture in the gallery showing 2 of them in the boot of a mini.

I seem to remember that the tube allows folders with up to 20 in wheels? Not sure if that's still the case?

Avatar
joules1975 | 9 years ago
0 likes

Why does the one in the pics and vids have Zee cranks? They strike me as slightly overkill in the gnar department for this bike, and a little contrary to one of the main selling points - i.e. lightweight (not that zee cranks are hefty, they are just not particularly light given that they are aimed at the tougher end of MTB enduro or even downhill).

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