Video: Paper Bicycle

Nick Lobnitz, the designer and creator of the Carry Freedom range of bike trailers, has been turning his hand to bike design after an approach from the Post Office to design a one-size-fits-all utility bike. The resulting steed borrows much from the Dutch bike movement but has plenty of interesting and original touches too. The chain is fully covered and the cover can be printed to order, and at the back Integral lights are planned at the rear where at the moment the bike sports push-in reflectors. The open rear tubes also serve as a sturdy rack mount, and the final bike will be able to carry large loads at the front and the rear. The final version will have a slightly more raked fork which will help the steering to self-centre when it's carrying a load, so you can push the bike by the saddle even with all your shopping up front. We had a whizz round the show floor on the bike and, when we weren't getting told off by security, discovered that it's a more agile beast than you might imagine. It's not light but the steering is, and the low centre of gravity makes it nice and stable at low speeds. All things being well (not a given, by any stretch...) the finished bikes will rolling off the assembly line in April. [video]