When
I head into the future in my magical time machine, I’m going to want to
bring a few things with me. One of those things is a Rambo knife. Also a
CD of In The Aeroplane Over The Sea. And also the Gi-Bike.
Created by adopted New Yorkers Agustin Agustinoy, Eric Sevillia, and
Lucas Toledo, the Gi-Bike is a foldable electric bike aimed at creating
simple, portable, and inexpensive public transportation for big cities.
Toledo came up with the idea in Córdoba, Argentina during a public
transit strike when he looked around and saw a true mess.
“It was during this difficult time that we realized the importance of
independence and the need for a better method for daily commuters to
regain their independence. After researching different means of
transportation, we realized that the bicycle was the most efficient
means of transportation throughout the world,” he said.
The
feature list is huge and includes a one second folding time, a carbon
drive belt, electrical assistance for hills, and 40 miles of riding
without recharging. It also includes a GPS tracking system that locks
the bike when it’s out of a certain range and the battery can recharge
your cellphone. Note that this isn’t exactly an electric bike (which
are, sadly, illegal in New York) but more of a pedal assist system.
The first bikes will sell for $2,995 on Kickstarter and will
ultimately cost $3,390 when they begin shipping. The bikes are under 37
lbs and the tires and rims look like something out of Minority Report.
“I describe the product as the bicycle of the future or how we like to call it internally ‘the next Tesla bike,’” said Toledo.
Toledo, the CEO, is a former economist with experience in lean
startups and capital trading. CTO Agustinoy is an industrial designer
with an electronic engineering background and Sevillia is a financial
advisor for families and startups. Together, the team basically built
their dream bike, culminating in the sinuous beast you see before you.
The team is looking for $400,000 to fund the production of these
bikes and they’ve hit $20,000 so far. They expect to ship bikes in
March.
Electric bikes at this point are a dime a dozen. However, cleverly manufactured and handsomely-styled ones are rare. Like the Riide,
this bike is sort of a stealth e-bike, the special sauce hidden in the
frame and the power coming from a powerful battery. It’s a cool idea and
I’d love to take it for a spin.
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