Whippet Bicycle - new British folder
 

Whippet Bicycle

https://static1.squarespace.com/stat...ke?format=300w

Exhibited right now at the "bespoked" in Bristol/UK

Bespoked 2017New Builders

Perhaps some fellow local rider(s) could take a closer look at this one?

Is this the first folder to be bigger when folded? Ingenious.

Looks like the proverbial solution to a problem that never existed.

Its got potential.
I wounder if the rear brake support was removed and was mounted near the bottom bracket. Could it be re desinged to completely fold in to the rear wheel space with both wheels removed. That would be interesting redesign.
Doesnt seem to achive anything yet over taking wheels off a mini velo

Nice bike. The short sleeve for the seatpost looks scary though :eek:.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C86JdDXWAAAoy3L.jpg

(Pic taken from a twitter post by Torben Finn Laursen.)

From the appearance of the bike they seemed to have accomplished this. It may not be the most elegant but at least it works. I wish them luck. Having more choices in the folding/minifolding market is good for the consumer.

I don't understand why any bike for the commuter market comes without mudguards..?

I love the mini-velo lines on it.

[MENTION=55507]tudorowen1[/MENTION]
You're right in several cases, just here...well...would you agree to say "partially" or "fifty-fifty"?

https://static1.squarespace.com/stat...il?format=500w

Similar to the "Ahooga" mudguards - and just one it seems...
:foo:

I think the name is likely a reference to the dog breed. The Whippet is the smaller cousin of the Greyhound.

http://cdn.akc.org/akcdoglovers/Whippet_hero2.jpg

Or perhaps the name is an allusion to the groundbreaking derailleur geared British Whippet bicycle of the 1890s.

One-hit wonder. Not a good augur or association.

This bike looks much better not folded. How much does it weigh?

Over 9kg and I am not interested.

The website FAQ says 11.5kg, about 25 lbs. So it doesn't fold much, isn't very light, and costs a big stack of money. Super.

It's nice to have more folding bike options but they need to be practical. Just because a bike was designed with articulating segments unlike anything else on the market doesn't really make it a viable option, just different. The Whippet, in it's 'folded' state, merely appears to be a bike that was run over several times by a dump truck.

Also the salespitch from the Whippet site concerning the splashguard... 'easy-mount magnetic rain/mudguard to keep you dry and clean.'. I call BS on that. An accessory that snaps on which is barely wider than the frame doesn't make for a very effective splashguard and I see the rider's feet getting thoroughly drenched after riding through the first puddle. It seems like more effort was put into the marketing blurb than the actual design itself.

Given a choice between this and a Diblasi R4 I would opt for the 20 year old design as a folding bike to use as a folding bike.

All those joints reminded me of the Airframe of a few years ago.

I also thought of the Devo song first, but Bikelite beat me to it. I agree that this is a weird and cumbersome folded bike to be carrying around, but nice to see new stuff anyway.

£3000 for something that looks massively inferior to a Brompton which is a third of the price and much better plus many other options below the Brompton anyway and have different advantages to the Whippet. If you want to sell a bike for £3000 make it more compact and lighter than a Brompton but equally good to ride and strong.

Well said Bonzo Banana..

The Whippet reminds me so much of the Big Fish. There's a lot of 'folding' and manipulating to do but the resulting package size leaves me underwhelmed. I'm in awe of the number of pivot points on the Whippet... it looks like an Erector Set inspired design.

I've had a go on a big fish, it's a sweet riding bike, great for the boulevardier, but a fairly pointless folder.

Wonder if the bike comes with a red pot bike helmet like Devo wears.

There is quite a buzz about this in the UK (home of Bromptons and moultons). And from what I've seen its between Moulton and Brompton territory (it folds better and is faster, respectively). The designer does time trials etc and did not want any compromises on speed cf conventional diamond frames... wanted something that rolls on its wheels and is super slim. (Not to mention super cool looking enough to mount on the wall, with exquisite jewel like details) .

I just dont get the 'knee-jerk' reactions to new innovations .... "not as good as (my) X " seems like a lot of 'post purchase self-justification' rather than open minded interest and acceptance that we all have different values.

I remember similar negative reactions to Tesla (who are now the biggest, by value, car maker in USA, just overtaking GM and ford).