overbyte

I agree that very few people ride bikes to the bus and even fewer take a folding bike onboard. Perhaps that would somewhat increase if they had a good solution to the onboard bike. 99% of people are lazy and would rather sit and wait than pedal a bike. But if they are a transit rider, they still need to get to the bus and from the bus to their destination, so it's either walking or riding something as the coupling between transit and the end points. Some cities are trying rent-a-bike solutions, where you choose a bike from the lockup rack, swipe your credit car or transit pass card through the pay machine on a kiosk, which then unlocks that bike, and you ride to your destination, where you return the bike to a similar rack, terminating your rental. New York City is trying that using a grant from some deep pockets benefactor. The whole issue of bikes and transit is a work in progress.

However, you're right that there are already slim folding stick bikes. They are bulkier when folded but may fit between the legs in front of a bus/train rider. I noticed that in Sweden where the MicroBike Microbike was designed, built, and sold, the company closed down after selling 16,000 of them from 1988 to 1993. The older ones apparently have breakage problems, but I don't know if that was the reason for closing down the business. It had a 3-second fold time and fit between the legs on a bus and resembled the Strida, with 12.5" wheels, but different geometry. I've never tried a bike with 8" wheels like the Carry Me or A-Bike, but seeing some videos I don't think I'd like the toy-like feel of it.

The Dahon Jifo, which was perhaps Dahon's attempted rival to Brompton's compact fold, also is no longer in production according to NYCEwheels: Dahon Jifo 16 folding bike. I don't know why (poor demand, engineering problems, contract problems after the family rift in the Dahon family which ended up creating the rival Tern, or whatever). NYCE was advertising it as: "The light weight, single speed Dahon Jifo 16 is made to be ultra-mobile, able to be folded down quickly and carried aboard buses and trains with ease. This folding bike compliments your mass-transit commute, perfect for that last bit of travel from the transit station to your final destination."

Regarding the weight of a bike on the lap, I tried a mock bike consisting of a box filled to weigh 28 lbs. It wasn't too bad on the lap for a while. I don't know how it would be on a bouncy bus ride. With a rigid-bottom bag for it, the bike weight would be spread across the thighs. Maybe it would be acceptable for a typical duration of bus/train ride. I've ordered one of these super-compact bikes to play with, so I'll eventually find out. But I agree, on the floor between the legs is better, such as the Strida and Microbike were designed for.

In spite of all these truths, there may still be a niche for a super-compact folding bike since it takes up less volume than other folders and becomes a rather neat compact shape. It's easy to put several in a small car trunk and still have space for other cargo. They stow well on a train or bus luggage rack and don't take up too much space in an elevator. They're small enough to bring right into an office and look more like luggage on wheels than a bicycle. And transit systems seem to be increasingly encouraging the use of bikes onboard. The question would be whether the niche is large enough to support sales volume that covers the costs of doing business: buying the bike in China, shipping, tariff, business insurance (liability and recall risk, etc.), advertising, storage, warehousing, labor, etc., and still leave some profit. Apparently Paul Pingus of Oragami Bicycles considered all of this and decided it wouldn't fly.