Bike Lust: AREAWARE’s City/Folding Collection

Design shop AREAWARE has a wonderful selection of several bikes I’ve had my eye on for some time now. I picked up a new road bike since starting my training for the Friends for Life Bike Rally earlier this year and ever since I’ve been wishing I had a practical, comfortable bike for commuting around the city to compliment my speed-hungry Trek 2.1.

Above, the Amsterdam-designed Vanmoof features dual solar-powered lights for front and rear, and a beautiful, no-nonsense powder-coated aluminum frame with leather saddle and grips. The chain-guard and fenders make it uber practical for city riding but weighing in at 28 pounds, I wouldn’t plan on lugging this one up and down stairs at all.

The Strida bike has been on my radar for a long time. Featuring a unique triangular geometry, it has a grease-free kevlar belt and gives the rider a nice upright seating position. I saw someone using this thing on a trip to Boston and it looks super practical for a mixed-transport (subway/riding) commute.

The IF MODE folding bike looks like something from a sci-fi flick with a very minimalist design by Mark Sanders, the same guy who made the Strida, above. As opposed to most folding bikes which make for a very inefficient and awkward ride, the IF MODE is full-size with 26-inch three spoke sport tires and disc brakes in the front and rear. It’s a bit of a beast at 32 pounds, but it folds up in about 5 seconds flat as shown in a demo video from Taipei to make for very easy transport and storage: