THIS concept (not a product for sale … YET) is actually pretty cool looking, and seems like it would be a benefit in a number of ways. i would probably not use it on a daily rider, but a backPocket bike like a cargo hauler or a dayTripper would be benefitted greatly by this trick little piece of tech.

as you can see above, it looks like regular ole arc/riser bars, just with a giant double quickRelease lever. (the blue thing.) so when you pop that release, the bars fold back, and (here’s the trick shit) LOCK TOGETHER, under the frame’s top tube.

so here’s the benefits, as i see em…

+ EASIER STORAGE. this is the real big sell to me, and is really the only true NEED for this that i can see. a bicycle’s handlebars and pedals are the two parts that make it most awkward to store. but handlebars more than anything. a bike without handlebars is SO easy to put away. it just lays against a wall and takes up VERY little space. that’s why i think this would be a great second or third or fourth bike solution. a bike that doesn’t get daily use.
+ ADDED SECURITY. because the bars lock together under the top tube, the front end becomes impossible to use, and thus, less desirable to a thief. this is a BRILLIANT addition, and i think it broadens the marketability. there’s gonna be 3 people who have enough bikes to warrant a special part just for easier storage, but there’s a HUGE contingent of people looking for additional security features.
+ ADDED PARKING STABILITY. SO many times, you come out from wherever you’re at and your bike’s front wheel has turned, allowing it to roll out to the side, and slide down the parking meter, lock and all, to lay on it’s side on the ground. it SUCKS. also, it chips the paint. also, unsightly. again because of the lock-under-the-topTube feature, the front wheel can’t turn and allow your bike to fall. a very nice tertiary benefit.

but with benefits come downfalls, and the biggest (and technically ONLY) one i see is strength. your bars undergo a MASSIVE amount of torque on a ride. you use them for leverage when climbing, you REALLY pull on em coming off a stop, and quite frankly, they’re your only true and default means of holding on and steering. so anything that compromises them increases your chances of the deaths. i’m not crazy about that. again, another reason to only use em on a backup bike.

still.

cool as fuck.

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