Trying to maneuver a bike through tight indoor spaces typically necessitates painstakingly angling the handlebars around doorframes and other obstacles, taking care not to knock the pedals into paintwork or snag them on furniture.
One solution to that problem may come from Flatbike, which offers two practical components that aid cyclists in temporarily flattening a bicycle for more convenient storage.
The Pop-Off Pedals and THINstem are claimed to allow a full-size bike to reach “1/3 the size in seconds.” They reportedly do not affect the ride quality, because the bike becomes flat for storage, but remains full-size on the road. The frame, wheels and drivetrain are not affected when the pedals and stem are swapped.
The Pop-Off Pedals are Flatbike’s own design, and are easily removed with a patented pinch mechanism that uses two independent latches (per pedal) that easily release quickly without the need for tools. And yes, there are also folding pedals that people can buy, although Flatbike points out that those could could still scratch paintwork.
The third-party THINstem – which is available through Flatbike – allows the handlebars to be rotated sideways with an easy twist, so they line up with the frame. This reduces the bike’s widest dimension, and in essence flattens it so it sits flush against the wall. A few other products have done the same thing, such as the Flipphandle and Stemlock.
Flatbike offers the Pop-Off Pedals for US$99 (and up) and the THINstem for $99 separately, or together as a package starting at $175.
Source: Flatbike
