Mini shows folding bicycle

The highly portable and compact Mini bicycle can easily be stored in the boot or taken on public transport.
Neil Dowling

Contributing Journalist

1 min read

Almost 50 years later, Mini has pedalled out its own small bicycle along the same lines as those of Dr Alex Moulton's bike.

Mini says the bicycle - which unlike Moulton's highly successful small-wheeled model, folds up to fit in the boot - is expected in dealerships by August and will cost about $800.

It gives keen Mini owners the flexibility to park the car and continue by bicycle. When folded, the 11kg bike can be taken free of charge on public transport.

Mini claims it's all quality - it's made from high-quality components including eight gears and 20-inch wheels, a teflon-coated chain so there's no oil stains, has a lightweight aluminium frame and has a clever folding mechanism. It can be folded and unfolded in a few seconds with hinges along the crossbar and handlebars. The seat can be retracted and the pedals be folded up.

Dr Moulton (91), who still owns an original Mini, designed his bike with front and rear suspension and small wheels. Dunlop came up with high-pressure tyres to reduce rolling resistance. The original Moulton bikes are now collectors items.

Neil Dowling

Contributing Journalist

GoAutoMedia Cars have been the corner stone to Neil’s passion, beginning at pre-school age, through school but then pushed sideways while he studied accounting. It was rekindled when he started contributing to magazines including Bushdriver and then when he started a motoring section in Perth’s The Western Mail. He was then appointed as a finance writer for the evening Daily News, supplemented by writing its motoring column. He moved to The Sunday Times as finance editor and after a nine-year term, finally drove back into motoring when in 1998 he was asked to rebrand and restyle the newspaper’s motoring section, expanding it over 12 years from a two-page section to a 36-page lift-out. In 2010 he was selected to join News Ltd’s national motoring group Carsguide and covered national and international events, launches, news conferences and Car of the Year awards until November 2014 when he moved into freelancing, working for GoAuto, The West Australian, Western 4WDriver magazine, Bauer Media and as an online content writer for one of Australia’s biggest car groups. He has involved himself in all aspects including motorsport where he has competed in everything from motocross to motorkhanas and rallies including Targa West and the ARC Forest Rally. He loves all facets of the car industry, from design, manufacture, testing, marketing and even business structures and believes cars are one of the few high-volume consumables to combine a very high degree of engineering enlivened with an even higher degree of emotion from its consumers.
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