While a lot of people would like a simple no-frills bicycle for basic transportation, they also don't want a poorly-made piece of junk. That's where the Dutch designers of the Reframed bike are hoping their product will fill a niche. It's a single-speed bike with a frame made separate pieces of extruded aluminum, that the user puts together themselves.
There are three main ways in which the Reframed bike is intended to be a low-cost (but reliable) alternative to traditional bicycles.
First of all, because the frame isn't welded together or painted, there are less production costs to recoup. The different frame elements are instead anodized in a color of the buyer's choice, and then bolted together by the buyer once they receive the bike kit – the whole process reportedly takes about an hour, and includes just 15 steps.
Secondly, because the bike is sold as a kit that's packed into a relatively compact box, shipping costs should be lower. Finally, because all sales are conducted via the company's website, there are no physical brick-and-mortar stores that have to cover their overhead.
The Reframed bike is currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, where a pledge of €179 (US$189) will get you one, when and if they reach production ... and in case you're wondering, it does have back-pedal braking.
For a couple of other takes on assemble-it-yourself bikes, check out the wooden Sandwichbike and Sawyer.
Source: Kickstarter