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World's First Folding E-Bike With a Frame Made of Flax Plant Fibers Is Here, Weighs 15 Lbs

Using a sustainable, plant-based material that is extremely light but has the same strength as carbon fiber, Hummingbird Flax claims to be the world’s lightest electric folding bicycle, as well as the world’s first flax bike.
Hummingbird Flax Folding E-Bike 6 photos
Photo: Hummingbird Bike
Hummingbird Flax Folding E-BikeHummingbird Flax Folding E-BikeHummingbird Flax Folding E-BikeHummingbird Flax Folding E-BikeHummingbird Flax Folding E-Bike
Hummingbird bicycles are made in the United Kingdom and the Flax model is not the manufacturer's first product. In fact, the company introduced the world to the lightest folding bike ever back in 2017 and then again in 2018, when it developed an electric version of it. That one weighed 10.3 kg (22.7 lb), which is still very impressive, and featured a carbon fiber frame.

Now Hummingbird is back with another industry first, or so it claims, launching the Flax Folding Bike, the lightest and most sustainable bike in the world, built from plant fiber material. The two-wheeler was created in collaboration with motorsport company Prodrive. Among others, Prodrive specializes in manufacturing advanced lightweight composites for various types of applications in the automotive, aerospace, marine, or defense sectors.

The flax frame used for the new Hummingbird bike is already used in motorsports as a carbon fiber alternative, for world championship-winning cars. Reliable and just as light and strong as carbon fiber, the plant-fiber material looks elegant and brings an additional competitive quality to the table: sustainability.

Hummingbird’s new folding bike is more environmentally-friendly than its competitors, with the biodegradable frame eventually breaking down at the end of its lifecycle.

The Hummingbird Flax Folding Bike tips the scales at only 7 kg (15.4 lb), comes with a beautiful, exposed flax finish, is entirely handmade and comes in multiple options: as a single-speeder, multi-speed version, and one with a belt drive instead of a chain.

A 250W motor with 50 percent more torque offers an assisted speed of up to 25 kph (15.5 mph) and the built-in 158 Wh battery with 20 percent more range claims to offer over 50 km (31 miles) of fun per charge.

The bike features full carbon handlebars and a full carbon seat post with titanium hardware. Folding the bike takes only 5 seconds.

Hummingbird’s Flax Folding Bike is not exactly budget-friendly, starting at approximately $4,800 and going as high as $6,000, depending on the model you opt for.
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About the author: Cristina Mircea
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Cristina’s always found writing more comfortable to do than speaking, which is why she chose print over broadcast media in college. When she’s not typing, she also loves riding non-motorized two-wheelers, going on hikes with her dog, and rocking her electric guitars.
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