Get on your YikeBike!

The time has come for a futuristic upgrade of the old bicycle. Well, that's what Grant Ryan, the New Zealand inventor of the YikeBike, believes. His creation is a foldable electric bicycle that weighs less than 10 kg and can accelerate to its top speed of just over 20 kph within a few seconds on its 1.2 kW motor. All the moving parts are enclosed inside a sleek black carbon frame to minimize maintenance.

If you reserve a YikeBike now, it will be delivered early next year, says Grant. The price is going to be somewhere between €3,500 and €3,900. The bicycle will be available in Belgium, Britain, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and New Zealand.

"After years of discussion and experimenting, we have developed a bike that is as stable as the current 120-year-old bicycle configuration," Ryan told Gizmodo. He added that the YikeBike perfectly combines his love of mechanics, innovation and the environment.

Grant Ryan studied mechanical engineering and ecological economics at the University of Canterbury and has served on the board of the New Zealand Government's NZ$ 430 million (€205 million) Foundation for Research, Science and Technology.