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Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

kwigglebike.com

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Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#381

Post by JeremyNT »

MrKwiggle wrote: post #314

Thank you for having us here to discuss Kwiggle. I am the inventor and owner of Kwiggle and would like to give you some insights: We have been developing Kwiggle for 10 years and producing Kwiggle for almost 3 years. Every detail has been carefully designed to create a 10kg lightweight folding bike that can even be folded into hand luggage and still go as fast as a normal bike. We have selected materials and manufact…

I'm very interested in your product, however it's a big leap of faith to buy it sight unseen! When I buy a bicycle I'd like to try it out and ride it around. Do you have any intention to sell it from bike shops or retail channels in the US?

I know you've collected some positive anecdotes but I don't see many reviews from third parties out there yet, so I really can't commit to it. Is this simply because the product is still new? Can you say how many are already out there on the roads?

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#382

Post by gamblor956 »

wolverine876 wrote: post #379
jldl805 wrote: post #353

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quoted post unavailable.

> lie Can we do better than this? It is not welcome here, per the HN guidelines, and poisons everyone who sees it. It's also an accusation without evidence, and therefore meaningless in regard to the accused.

If you don't think "lie" is the appropriate word here, then might I suggest "deliberate fraudulent misrepresentation" instead?

There's evidence that this company has been misleading customers about order status for at least 7 years. How much more evidence do you need?

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#383

Post by gamblor956 »

samwillis wrote: post #64
throwaway81523 wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That patent was from 1979 so it must be long expired.

Hmm, will have to dig into it and do some research as, if it is expired, why has no one copied the design? Edit: It seems to have been proven in court that they have copyright (rather than the old patent) of the design. A bit like the coke bottle design I suppose. https://www.farrer.co.uk/news-and-insights/brompton-puts-the...

In the U.S., copyrighting a design merely means you can't reproduce the design documents. It has no effect on the design of an actual product (which would be covered by a design patent, which has a lifetime of 15 years).

(Brompton is a UK company, so this wouldn't apply to UK-based competitors, but it would protect US-based competitors.)

EDIT: it looks like the EU actually has similar rules. Brompton is very likely going to lose this case, and is probably just counting on the court proceedings to delay this competitor's entry into the market. Expect a flood of Brompton-likes when the lawsuit settles.

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#384

Post by jldl805 »

ridehelix wrote: post #365
jldl805 wrote: post #353

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quoted post unavailable.

Definitely not spending any time on the internet soliciting business, you can check. Either the product speaks for itself or it doesn't, that's up to you - I have zero desire to market any wares. I read hn from time to time and saw a folding bike posts at #2 and thought I could enrich the discussion as there was no mention of Helix. If you're into folding bikes or cycling, why not find out about what else is availabl…

Your very presence in this thread exists to solicit business. I'm beginning to see a trend here when it comes to you and your company's representations of reality.

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#385

Post by jldl805 »

wolverine876 wrote: post #379
jldl805 wrote: post #353

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quoted post unavailable.

> lie Can we do better than this? It is not welcome here, per the HN guidelines, and poisons everyone who sees it. It's also an accusation without evidence, and therefore meaningless in regard to the accused.

I truly think it's the most clinically sterile word to describe what he (and his company... this isn't just a HN issue) are doing and continue to do. In his own response he didn't even challenge the statement that he is lying, but doubled down and says he's not soliciting new business even though he dropped in on a different bike thread to hawk his bike (er.... "down payment for theoretical hypothetical bike in the future") to anyone who was interested in the completely legitimate, in-production one that OP posted.

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#386

Post by webmaven »

infogulch wrote: post #117
joshlemer wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Correct, and this is total malarkey.

Filing for a design patent should invalidate any claim to copyright on the features of the design that are claimed in the patent. Pick your IP protection lane, you can't have your cake and eat it too.

> Filing for a design patent should invalidate any claim to copyright on the features of the design that are claimed in the patent. Pick your IP protection lane, you can't have your cake and eat it too.

Oh, I so wish that were true.

Software is the poster child for multiple IP regimes applying to the same thing, with copyrights applying twice over (source code and object code/binary executable) as well as patents. Patents can in theory also be applicable to the compilation of source code into object code, but as far as I'm aware no one has pursued a case on that basis, and in any case open source compilers are now standard.

But it gets even crazier when you start adding trademark and trade dress (ie. "look and feel" etc.) into the mix.

Just about the only form of IP that in practice is invalidated by the other forms is trade secret, as the others all involve some form of disclosure or publication.

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#387

Post by locallost »

brudgers wrote: post #372
locallost wrote: post #237

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Now do cars.

I leave my car outside because rain doesn't effect it's powertrain lubricants. It has integrated locks and unlikely to be stolen. It can't be picked up and thrown in the back of a van. Or just ridden off. I come out and the seat isn't wet and the chain isn't rusty. Everything is dry and ready to go.

It's a funny list considering bikes were described as a compromise with floor space. As it's possible to park 10 bikes for one car.

As for the rest, I lube my chains rarely and they are rusty on extreme occasions only and stand in the rain often. Belt drives also require no lube at all. A bike can be dried up in 5 seconds or you can use a seat cover which costs around 50 cents on average unless you get it for free. You take it off and the seat is dry and ready to go.

And you don't have to drive around three blocks for 10 minutes looking for a parking space. Or longer if you don't find it and drive home and ride a bike instead. So cars are a compromise with mental health and bikes are a breeze. I haven't had to worry about anything or make any compromise with them in so 12 years I've been riding daily. Because even a rusty chain can be replaced for 10-20$. They are basically worry free and almost maintenance free. To call them a compromise is an insult to common sense.

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#388

Post by valarauko »

Leherenn wrote: post #327
lmm wrote: post #233

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Storing vehicles is a social problem not an individual one, given that by their nature people tend to use them to commute, go shopping etc.. (If you live in some crazy jurisdiction that has decided to allocate lots of public space to car storage and not bike storage, then you have a problem, but, uh, don't do that)

The issue with bicycles in public spaces is that they get stolen all the time, even the shitty ones. Folding ones neatly avoid that since you can rather easily store them somewhere safe wherever you go.

Honest Q: where though? If storing outside on a bike rack isn't an option, where can the folding bikes be reasonably stored while out and about? If I go to the store, for example, I see no option but to lug the bike around with me the entire time. At work, sure, I could stash it in the office during the work day, but outside of that I'm not sure storage really works.

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#389

Post by Slow_Hand »

For those who ride/own folding bikes, what are your reasons for favoring them over a regular bike?

Every metro area I’ve lived in allows bikes on trains and city busses have racks on the front. Leaving a bike in a secure lobby/hallway, garage has almost always been an option. That said, I don’t hesitate to chain mine up on the street either, so I’m having trouble seeing a folding bike as offering any advantage in most situations, especially considering the compromises that are often made in comfort and performance.

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#390

Post by anonymousiam »

exidy wrote: post #152
anonymousiam wrote: post #129

These small bicycles have one major disadvantage: The wheels are too small to provide much of a gyroscopic effect while riding, so they are far less stable than a traditional bicycle. https://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/bicycle-wheel-gyro

This is largely a myth. A rotating bicycle wheel does generate a small amount of gyroscopic effect, but it is too small in comparison to the weight of bike & rider to make much difference. People have built bicycles with counter-rotating front wheels[1] to prove it. Smaller bikes may feel less stable, however I suspect this is simply because smaller wheels will be affected by smaller road imperfections that a larger…

I wonder why there are so many conflicting opinions on this.

It may be that those trying to discredit the benefit of gyroscopic stability are looking at the first order effect of the gyro/wheels on keeping the bike upright, when in fact it is the force from the front wheel on the handlebars/steering, and the man-in-the-loop.

https://ezramagazine.cornell.edu/summer11/researchspotlight....

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