Photo: Boonen Design Studio
PLOOI is the creation of the Boonen Design Studio in Belgium and, from afar, looks like pretty much any other small bicycle we'd meet every day. However, getting closer to it starts revealing its secrets and the fact that we're looking at one of the finest pieces of folding bike engineering we've ever seen.
The neatest thing about the PLOOI is that it only takes a press of a button to fold it. As you can see in the photos below, there is something fluid to the way the PLOOI folds down to a trolley-sized package. Likewise, it appears that the entire process is also smooth and easy, and we love that.
A small button under the handlebars activates two hinge points, and the PLOOI collapses neatly. Apparently, the seat must also be retracted manually, so we'd rather say that this pedelec is a two-step folding bike.
Even so, once folded, the PLOOI will have a much smaller footprint, and this means that it can be effortlessly carried around on trains, metro, buses, or elevators. Obviously, it would also fit easily in a car's trunk in case you're the park and ride type, and recharging it in a corner of your office will probably not hinder anyone.
Unfortunately, more detailed info about the PLOOI (which, by the way, is Dutch for "fold") is unavailable, and we honestly hope that the bike is more than a prototype. We DO know, however, that the rear wheel houses a 200W hub center motor, and that the small battery pack can provide enough pedal assist energy for around 12 miles (20 km).
And things could be improved significantly with a special-design bracket that secures in place an additional battery pack. PLOOI looks lightweight as it is, and crafting a version with a carbon fiber frame would make it even lighter. Hope this becomes a real product, if it isn't already.
A small button under the handlebars activates two hinge points, and the PLOOI collapses neatly. Apparently, the seat must also be retracted manually, so we'd rather say that this pedelec is a two-step folding bike.
Even so, once folded, the PLOOI will have a much smaller footprint, and this means that it can be effortlessly carried around on trains, metro, buses, or elevators. Obviously, it would also fit easily in a car's trunk in case you're the park and ride type, and recharging it in a corner of your office will probably not hinder anyone.
Unfortunately, more detailed info about the PLOOI (which, by the way, is Dutch for "fold") is unavailable, and we honestly hope that the bike is more than a prototype. We DO know, however, that the rear wheel houses a 200W hub center motor, and that the small battery pack can provide enough pedal assist energy for around 12 miles (20 km).
And things could be improved significantly with a special-design bracket that secures in place an additional battery pack. PLOOI looks lightweight as it is, and crafting a version with a carbon fiber frame would make it even lighter. Hope this becomes a real product, if it isn't already.
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