Unlike Montague and Bridgestones Changebike has a built-in front wheel attachment point. Detach the front wheel, fold the frame in half, and reattach the front wheel.
Then one can roll the folded bike on a wheel, exactly like Helix.



https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...81bcbe3a29.jpg

If you've got to remove the front wheel, then I'd just lock it up like any other full sized bike, it's just too time consuming and too much trouble. It's too big to roll around inside shops, heck, the helix at 24" is really pushing the limits of what most shops would allow but the perception of the smaller wheels might be good enough. Then there is the riding experience - Changebike might be a great ride but, for me anyway, I have found urban riding is so much better with a smaller wheel. The bike is more nimble and easier to accelerate from all the stops. It's just all depends on what your needs and wants happen to be. But I don't think there's any way the Changebike and Helix are interchangeable in terms of usage so it's just not a valid comparison. Changebike is probably awesome but I doubt it has the right appeal to folks who bought the Helix.

I have a 20" and a 24". In urban riding (downtown Boston) I have not found the tire size an effect on my riding. Acceleration is about even when you factor in the traffic and conditions limit your speed and movement. The Helix appears beefed up, which is probably a more important criteria when riding in urban conditions than acceleration. I have traveled and rode in many downtown areas (Dallas I hate you) the bike takes a real beating on less than ideal roadways. My Airnimal has to remove the front wheel, but I don't think it takes any longer than my Dahon fold. I have a cord that pops the tire against the frame. I've not had an issue storing on the train or bringing it inside. I think as long as a bike rolls, which neither of mine do, then size should not matter. Maybe where i am is the exception but it is rare that I have to fold my bike when moving it. I can walk my bike right to the train entrance without issue.

Having to pop the front wheel off is a deal breaker for most folder buyers, especially commuters. That style of bicycle isn't remotely germane to this topic.

Joe I am not trying to veer off topic and was responding to the previous posters comment. Both the Airnimal and the Helix are 24" bikes. Yes the front wheel has to come off of mine. I keep hearing that is a deal breaker for commuters. As a commuter I am just trying to say that in day to day experience in an urban setting I have not found that to be the case. I am not trying to take away from the Helix which looks awesome, I'm just trying to point out that a folding time difference of maybe another 30 seconds really going to make that much of a difference? How many times in a day is the bike folded? Mine is twice a day. Is the average 4? That is a similar issue with bike weight. I keep hearing 25 pounds vs. 20 pounds is a no-go, but I am just sharing the experience that lugging a 20 (Airnimal) or 25 pound (dahon...closer to 27) bike up two flights of stairs at the train station exit feels about the same to me. To me the beefy frame/tires and rolling feature are what makes the Helix a better bike in an urban environment. When you have that in conjunction with a good fold and a decent weight then you have a better overall package. Just my opinion as an avid Helix thread reader :)

Maybe it depends on where you live. Here (Bay Area) you cannot take an unfolded bike on the escalators, you must walk them up and down the stairs (lots of them). It is a big fat ticket if you don't comply. Having a bike you can fold with one hand quickly makes a huge difference. Rolling my Dahon Mu Uno to the escalator and folding with one hand while I step on (holding the railing) is smooth and fast. Even my Bike Friday pakiT folds down enough (not removing the stem) with one hand to use the escalator. If you have to remove a wheel, it's a two handed more time consuming job and you wouldn't want to do it very often I would think. Also, research shows that smaller wheels accelerate faster and I definitely notice even my 16" BF takes off faster than my 20" Dahon from a stop light. Maybe if you are a big strong guy the difference is minimal, but this little lady feels it, lol.

Hi All, I don't visit this forum much but know that you guys are curious about updates.


All four of my Helixes arrived over two days with the final dropped off by Fed Ex today. So Helixes are going out the door and I am sure that the pace will pick.


It is a marvel of engineering and pure pleasure to put together and break down. I am very much amazed at the price point - even with new orders pricing. Without rushing, after getting used to it, assembly and take down should take no more than 20 seconds. In the video on supporters only site, Peter does it in a relaxed manner in 12 seconds. And then to be able to throw all four in the trunk if we wish to do so, out of sight of the public eye is a real plus. (And no, I will not have the opportunity to ride them yet until this weekend due to projects - plus two of my sons that we got these for have no longer living in our area so there's going to be a wait for them.


First impression: The Helix is an absolutely fantastic piece of engineering and feels very solid in the living room. (My wife and I had looked at and test rode Bromptoms a few years back and going by memory, this just feels better in the assembly and size - a lot closer to regular bike.) The act of putting it together and breaking it down is a real pleasure. The bike is stronger than it needs to be so this should be excellent for an urban environment. Peter designed it to be durable for trail riding. (Supposedly most manufacturers send multiples of parts to be tested so that each new part undergoes only one specific stress test. Peter sent one bike and the various tests were done on the one bike without substituting new parts for each test. The tests were then done for twice as many cycles as are customary in the industry standard.) I note this as I believe durability matters for a folding bike that will be used in a wide range of environments.


Through all the delays, never doubted that the bike will see the light of day. I for one am very happy to see one man/family/team's vision come to fruition.


OK, over and out.

Excellent to hear some owner feedback!

Wow, sounds great!!! Please come back and post some ride impressions when you get a chance. Excited to see shipping is ramping up and so happy for the patient, very patient, backers. We wouldn't mind pics, either, lol.

I did cheat and played with it in my living room for about 20 minutes today. Solid solid solid. Having a couple of them out of the box unpacked in the living room is just beautiful. I can't believe that I have four titanium bikes here within arms reach. Just the frames themselves would have run more than the Kickstarter price if sourced form China based on current TI frames from China. Anyways, folded with the side by side wheel configuration, they look to me like a grown up Brompton on steroids. Oh, and not sure why but I'm particularly happy to see disc brakes on these....maybe because I like to do mountain descents....:)

It is complex so I am going to have to find time eventually to understanding how to do the maintenance. I don't have a clue to how even take off the wheels if I have a flat.

Anyways, a treat. Hang in there guys/gals - it is worth the wait.

I recently asked the same question in an email to Peter. His response was as follows:

This is excellent news.

How do you have 4 Helixes and no pics? Show us pics, man!

Here you go. All I had on my camera was a wide angle lens for a quick snap. A longer lens would have been much better but that's the best I have time for. If my schedule was 'normal', I would be doing a review....:)

Basically, I think of Bromptons as the smallest package relative to wheel size among folding bikes. (Meaning the % of protusion relative to wheel size is small.) But the Helix, using the same formula, is actually even more efficient. The two wheels are on top of each other and the frame is BELOW the wheel's top edge. Just beautiful engineering. Everyone of the joints are double locking so that if the primary fail, there is still a secondary for backup and safety. OK, over and out.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c466574221.jpg

Glad you got your bikes, Ultralight. Even more glad to hear that they live up to your expectations!
[MENTION=451212]Gibsonsean[/MENTION]: Are you still waiting on yours? I seem to remember you having a fairly low backer number.

Now THAT'S an impressive photo.

Still waiting for bike #39 .

Thank you to those who actually answered my question. As I mentioned, I am a noob and an explanation of the even basic differences (ex: smaller wheel size = easier acceleration) were unknown to me, but very helpful to learn about.

I'm amazed that one cannot describe the differences between an SUV and a hatchback. To car noobs, it would probably be helpful to point out things like SUVs offering higher vantage points and storage space but more difficult to park than a hatchback. But I did not realize the realm of folding bikes was so vast that comparing two dissimilar folding bikes was off topic for a discussion about one of the bikes. I did not realize that comparing a 24" helix to a 26" Changebike was apples to oranges while a 20" brompton was more germane. Deepest apologies as, again, I am but a humble noob here.

Questions are good.
Ya don't know if'n ya don't ask.

Changebike is different from Helix to an extent greater than the 2" wheel size difference.
- Helix folds smaller & faster, so it's more commuter & airline travel friendly.
In this sense, it's similar to Brompton, despite a nominal 8" wheel size difference.
- Changebike offers more conventional road, hybrid & mountain bikes.
It's more comparable to Montague.
- Aesthetic features are very different, eg, bare TI vs painted AL.
Both look great at their intended uses.

Are these four bikes part of the two 5 bikes batch shipped or are they part of a third batch ?

If its a third batch, any idea how many bikes in this third batch ?

The apples and oranges thing applies because people buy Brompton (and probably Helix) for the fold foremost. A tolerable ride is acceptable to get the fold. Just like people many pick Brompton over Bike Friday for the fold. Changebike seems like people would pick it for the ride with the added bonus of some folding capability. But with full sized tires it's not going to be chosen primarily for the fold. It would be a great choice to replace the mountain bike my son currently has to keep in his apartment's nasty basement because his roadie is already in his studio. No way he would take a traditional folding bike out to ride the kind of mountain tracks he prefers but Changebike could be a nice alternative that he could maybe find a space for in his closet. I've sent him the link, hadn't heard of this bike until now, so thanks for that.

Just had my first short ride today and taking a peek here.. I'll say that I got the Helix for BOTH the fold and the ride. I'm not a pro but on the Helix, it was hard to tell that I was not riding a regular bike. I felt that I was moving along as quickly as a regular bike, and when I stood up to mash on it, it felt solid. Going by memory, it Feel very different from a Brompton where there was no question that I was on a bike that felt different from a full sized bike. Also, the vibration seem more damped than a steel bike but that could just be the tires that may need to be more inflated. Not sure on that one. I think the Helix may well the sweet spot for me in terms of all the compromises.

That sounds really encouraging. My Bike Fridays ride like that - you don't know you're on small wheels unless you look down. But (except for the pakiT) the fold isn't good for daily use, just travel. And even the pakiT, while it folds faster than the Brompton, the narrower longer folded shape is not always as convenient as a square fold might be. Now if only Helix made a 16" wheeler ;-). I'm sure you felt some damping from the titanium - I noticed it immediately when I put a titanium seatmast and stemmast on my pakiT (although it was more noticeable on bumps over small vibrations). It's just a "cushier" ride. Congrats!!!!!

This pretty much means that the bike has a future, If it rides good, somebody will be willing to throw money into its long-term future even if the near-term economic future were turbulent. One-leggedness in the fork apparently also throws in some softness.

OK, it's unrelated to Helix, except insofar as I lost a bet on which crowdfunded project would launch first, Helix or ShareRoller. ShareRoller, now known as oneMotor, has delivered their first units. So close, but no banana, lol. I lost my $20 but I'm happy for the Helix backers and soon will be very happy for myself! Shareroller actually took longer than Helix to deliver. Crowdfunding teaches patience, that is for sure.