Originally Posted by
dmnobrien
My Dahon should last me until the Helix folks can sell to the public or they go bust.
In the latter case, would be interesting to see if a Dahon or Brompton (or similarly established bike maker) would buy the rights and then figure out how to produce it in decent quantities for a decent price.
In the end, the bike needs to bring in a profit. When it is too complicated to make it manufacturable at a price that people can and are willing to pay for what it may provide, the regular production will never happen.
As another comment, Brompton's important base is in the city of London, where at times it seems that half of all bikes in the streets are Bromptons. Their advantage is in the fact that you can carry them inconspicuously during rush hours on the train. I doubt anybody would be interested in such circumstances in larger folded bikes, even if they rode more like full size bikes when unfolded.