A South Korea-based upstart wants to build you a folding bicycle like you've never seen before. Your eye will naturally be drawn to its stunning frame, but there's a lot more to this work of art on wheels.
The Tetra, from Analog Machine Works, features an unusually long tubular space frame with a pair of opposite-facing tetrahedrons in its interconnected structure. That allows for a total of four folds, which makes for a more stable frame – and beautiful proportions.
Unlike some folding bikes – including popular models from Brompton and Birdy – which come with small 16-inch wheels, the Tetra gets 20-inchers for greater comfort over a variety of road surfaces.
You'll also notice a linkage-shock system with a hydraulic shock absorber at the rear. That's a big step up in suspension compared to other folding bikes, whose design only really allows for a plastic block to cushion the blow of uneven roads. It's also damping adjustable.
The Tetra's frame is constructed from chrome-molybdenum steel, and it's paired with a custom crankset, and a 9-speed sprocket plus disc braking from Shimano.
The bike folds down compactly, and the wheels handily stay locked together thanks to a little hook. At 28.7 lb (13 kg), it's not the lightest out there, but it should be manageable for most folks. It also comes with little wheels so you can effortlessly hold the handlebar in an upright position and roll the folded bike along sidewalks and hallways.
Analog Machine Works has been working on the Tetra since 2021; it picked up a bunch of design awards for its prototype over the years, and is finally ready to mass produce this in South Korea.
The brand is currently crowdfunding the Tetra on Kickstarter, where it's competitively pitched at US$2,390 (down from its expected retail price of $3,990). Shipping from South Korea to the US and a few countries in Asia will tack on an additional $160, while it'll be $220 for Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
All crowdfunding campaigns carry an element of risk, and this appears to be Analog Machine Works' first Kickstarter so you might want to keep that in mind when backing the project.
The early bird discount brings the Tetra into the ballpark of what you'd pay for something from Brompton, and there are indeed cheaper 9-speed folding models out there. However, none of them will really turn heads like the Tetra, or offer anything resembling a rear suspension.
Source: Analog Machine Works
