The Hummingbird Bike, engineered by Prodrive, is the world’s lightest folding bike, which has been in development for more than 18 months.
The Hummingbird sets new standards in both the design and engineering of folding bikes. It weighs just 6.9kg and has a unique three-step folding mechanism, which allows the bike to be collapsed in just five seconds – also making it the world’s “fastest” folding bike.
At 6.9kg, the bike is around 3kg lighter than any comparable folding bike on the market. Central to this is a lightweight carbon frame, handmade by Prodrive Composites in Milton Keynes, and which gives the bike its distinctive styling, very different from any other bike in the world.
The Hummingbird was conceived by Petre Craciun, a London-based designer and keen cyclist. He found that existing folding bikes on the market were heavy and unattractive, so he decided to design his own. He approached Prodrive at the beginning of 2016 to refine the bike, optimise its ride and handling, and create the carbon frame so that it could be produced in volume and sold globally.
Prodrive’s engineers carried out a rigorous design and development process using the latest computer-aided design and analysis software, to optimise the bike’s rigidity while minimising weight – the same approach it takes with all its race and rally cars. This ensured the bike passed all the ISO bicycle safety tests at the first attempt.
Each bike is handbuilt at Prodrive’s headquarters in Banbury, with each frame individually numbered and available in four colours. A visual carbon frame is also available, with the herringbone carbon weave laid up precisely and lacquered to give a perfect finish.
The Hummingbird comes as a single- or four-speed option, with an electric boosted option currently undergoing evaluation and which should be available in 2018. 
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