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This bike is totally different from any other folding bikes.  Sun has designed a bike that exactly looks like a suitcase.  The suitcase itself is the bike and totally useless to carry anything.  This looks cool but the design I believe is flawed since anything that is removable (just like the pedal) will eventually get lost making this entire thing useless.  Anyways, it is a nice concept that will set you back US$400.

No it is not a tandem.  This is really a bike for couples who want to seat side by side - for all you diehard romantics.  Who wants to be together all the time — holding hands is possible.  Nobody will be in a superior position, unlike a tandem where riders always fight who will be in front.  This time the couple will hit the road side by side and ride to the sunset together.

Make sure you and your partner’s weight are not really opposites or else cornering will be tricky ;).

A new trend just appeared in the streets of Hanoi — colorful and decorated bikes, some with large paper butterflies, others with bootlet ipods coupled with loud speakers. This trend is totally depart from the usual rickety bikes one sees along Hanoi steets. Surely, anybody would be surprised once you see a stream of technicolor bikes driven by teenagers with music at full blast. Most foreigners are all smiles upon seeing these bikes but a lot of older Vietnamese frowned on the new two-wheelies.

Personally, I don’t think this trend will catch fire here — unless it will be Tour of the Fireflies everyday ;). Though we know that we are gifted decorators, just look at our parols or lanterns during Christmas, teenagers here would rather pimp up their cars than their bikes. Also, there is no place to parade their bikes — Metro streets are not just that friendly to bikes ;(.

Read full story article here.

For people who love to bike one of the challenges is bringing their favorite bike to places. Definitely, the ideal way is to start pedaling and go to that destination. What if the place is too far and it is necessary to haul your bike in your car. Most likely you need to remove the front or even the rear wheel to ensure that it fits. Or you can also buy bike racks and there are so many choices from brands like Thule. But what if you are traveling and it is necessary to take a plane — how then will you fit your bike? Of course, you can pray that you can rent a decent bike — but nothing compared in bringing your own bike. It is definitely possible to bring your regular bike but such is not advisable unless you want a broken frame or a bended fork. Putting your standard bike in a balikbayan box is just too much hassle. So what is the alternative?

There are several choices of folding bikes: Airframe, Airnimal, Bernds, Bike Friday, Birdy, Breezer, Brompton, CariBike, Dahon, Di Blasi, Gekko, Giant, Mezzo, Moulton, Pashley and Sinclair A-bike.

Among these folding bikes, I love the Strida.

Imported from the U.K., the Strida comes in 10 different colors and the ride is very similar to your regular bike.

Folding it will only take you 6 seconds. And look you can even buy a bag to house it during your travel.

Mark Sanders designed the folding bike in 1984 as part of his graduate studies. The name Strida was coined by a 9-year old kid and since its introduction in 1984 it now has 5 versions. The Strida 5 has the following specifications:

By the way, the Strida 5 will set you back by Php30,000 to Php40,000.