Remember the YikeBike electric folding bike that we looked at a couple of years ago? Well, the New Zealand-based company who has its headquarters in Christchurch has a brand new “toy” for all you big boys out there – we are looking at the spanking new Fusion model which is actually a slightly heavier version of the original carbon fibre bike, albeit being cheaper – and hence, lighter on the pocket but not by much. Don’t expect to see a closing down sales or clearing stock promotion being associated with this, lest you get disappointed after your hopes have shot up. According to chief technology officer Peter Higgins, the Fusion model would be a standard version for distributors, although there is the carbon fibre bike which will be reserved for the high end version, that will be sold online through YikeBike’s own website. The main difference between the two? The Fusion frame and structural parts rely on alloy as the material of choice and reinforced polymer composite, whereas the original is made from carbon fibre.
This means the bike does look visually similar from most aspects albeit being cheaper and requiring you to tote around 3kg more of weight wherever you travel. To put it plainly, the Fusion will tip the scales at around 14kg while the carbon fibre version weighs in at 10.8kg. Expect the Fusion to retail for less than $2,000, which is cheaper compared to the carbon fibre version that will cost somewhere in the region of $3,000.
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