Press

Christchurch, New Zealand – June 13^th, 2011  – YikeBike Ltd., creators of the world’s smallest, lightest, compact electric bicycle, today unveiled the YikeBike Fusion, a lower-priced yet uncompromising version of the original YikeBike Carbon Fiber electric bicycle that has captivated the imagination of consumers and bicycle enthusiasts around the world, and earned awards, accolades and acknowledgements from Time Magazine, the Guinness Book of World Records, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and other international organizations.  The YikeBike Fusion retails for $1,990 USD, which is half of the price of YikeBike Carbon Fiber, and can be ordered online starting June 13 at www.yikebike.com

“We created the YikeBike to dramatically change urban and suburban transportation, providing users with a fast, safe, cost-effective, eco-friendly way to navigate their cities and towns,” said YikeBike CEO Grant Ryan.  “The original, upscale, carbon fiber YikeBike generated tremendous interest among early adopters when we unveiled it in late 2010. This led us – in record breaking time - to design the more mainstream YikeBike Fusion, which uses conventional materials to make it more appealing to both cost-conscious and energy-conscious consumers.”

At about half of the size and weight of other electric bicycles and many regular bicycles, the YikeBike Fusion is the perfect vehicle for urban and suburban use, especially for commuters.  Similar to the original, the YikeBike Fusion travels at a maximum speed of 14 miles per hour, with a distance of up to six miles between charges, or up to eighteen miles with the optional extended batteries. 

The YikeBike can be folded or unfolded in about 15 seconds, and is light and portable enough to be carried onto a bus, train or elevator, or stored in the trunk of a car or under a desk.  Its portability also means that consumers need never to worry about the storing, securing, or possible theft or vandalism of their YikeBike – as they would with a regular bicycle.

The YikeBike is also incredibly fun yet safe to ride.  Its side- and rear-mounted LED lights are always on for greater visibility – especially at night.  Its 20-inch front wheel can easily handle bumps, potholes and similar road obstructions, and its anti-skid, regenerative brakes provide faster and safer stopping capabilities.  The YikeBike’s innovative frame design and slower top speed make it safer to ride than an ordinary bike, and its ergonomic, upward seating and handlebar configuration makes it more comfortable to ride as well.

For the environmentally conscious, the YikeBike emits zero carbon emissions, and its use actually helps reduce the carbon emissions normally generated by other motor vehicles for shorter trips.  The YikeBike fully recharges in about 40 min, and at a cost of approximately five cents per charge.

YikeBikes are in demand from celebrities such as Jackie Chan, to major corporations such as Google.  However, ordinary consumers and cycle enthusiasts appreciate the innovative and sexy design and “green” features of the YikeBike. Wayne Sander, a [70+-year-old] YikeBike owner from Jamul, CA, feels that riding his YikeBike is safer than his street bike and more fun as well.

“From uber-cool teenagers to conservative senior citizens, I love the overwhelming positive looks and “thumbs up” comments I get when people see me riding my YikeBike.  Its design is one of a kind, and it’s so easy that even someone of my age can quickly learn to ride it.  From a safety standpoint, the 14 mile-per-hour top speed is less than half of what I often achieve on my street bike, especially on downhill stretches.  YikeBike’s anti-skid brakes work similar to a car’s anti-lock brakes, which brings me to a faster, more controlled stop.  And if the YikeBike were to stop suddenly, say in an accident, riders can avoid any painful contact with the handlebars, crossbar or other bicycle parts that would otherwise prevent them from landing on their feet.”

Since its creation, the YikeBike has received numerous international accolades.  Most notably, YikeBike was ranked 15th among the 50 Best inventions of 2009 by Time Magazine.  It was also listed among WIPO’s most notable inventions next to the likes of BlackBerry, Google, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), SpaceShip One, Viagra, and an anti-HIV vaccine.  The YikeBike was also enshrined in The 2011 Guinness Book of World Records as the lightest and smallest compact electric bike in the world.

About YikeBike Ltd.

YikeBike develops and manufactures the smallest, lightest, folding electric bikes in the world. The result of five years of research and development, YikeBike combines exceptional performance, design and safety with economy, convenience and portability.  YikeBike is backed by the two largest venture capital firms in New Zealand, Pioneer Capital Partners and K1W1, and the New Zealand Foundation for Research, Science and Technology. For more information, or to purchase a YikeBike, please visit www.yikebike.com.

Chani Garb

Switch180 PR

Ph: 201-245-4580

Email: chani@switch180pr.com

YikeBike Press Release

YikeBike, the compact electric bike named by Time Magazine as one of the top inventions of 2009, has won the Supreme Award for Product Design and Gold Award for Consumer Product at the 2010 Best Design Awards. YikeBike also won first place in the International Design Awards “Urban Sustainable Design” category and has been included in the Guinness Book of World records as the most compact electric bike in the world. It has also won a 2011 iF product design award.

The judges of the 2010 Best Design Awards, led by Professor Tony Parker, Head of Massey University’s Institute of Design for Industry and the Environment, said, “This radical piece of design has attracted a great deal of global attention, and no wonder. It takes typical urban commuting solutions, and turns them inside out. This contemporary penny-farthing is a game-changing idea and one where every component and detail has been designed from a single-minded perspective.”

“It’s great to see the YikeBike receiving such high quality awards given the years of design and thought that have gone into it,” says YikeBike founder and CEO Grant Ryan. “The YikeBike has ended up a beautifully engineered product that we are very proud of and it is great to be able to send them out to our first customers.”

The first YikeBikes are now being shipped around the world. Business commentator Rod Oram is one the first customers to receive his YikeBike, “It’s a wonderful sense of freedom and it is very manoeuvrable and looks, may I say, gorgeous,” Mr Oram says. “The ultra-light electric bike is not only genius for speeding between meetings, but folds up into a shoulder bag in just under 20 seconds. Mr Oram says it is perfect for urban mobility. “It’s a brilliant conception of what a bike should be like,” he says. “It’s amazingly light and foldable and therefore, very easy to transport.”

YikeBikes can be bought exclusively at the YikeBike online shop. They are for sale in Europe, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. They are priced at US $3,595,  £2,422 in the UK, €2,872 in Europe and AUD $3,909  in Australia. The price does not include delivery, duty and tax, but does include a 1 year warranty for the country of delivery.

About the YikeBike

The result of five years of research and development, the YikeBike mini-farthing has a radically different riding position and steering and wheel configuration, giving a safe smooth ride while folding up to a super small size. The YikeBike mini-farthing is the smallest, and at 10kg, the lightest electric folding bike in the world, enabling people to take it on buses, trains, and cars and store it easily under a desk or in a cupboard.

A video summary of the YikeBike was put together by The Discovery Channel

To find out more or to order a YikeBike visit www.yikebike.com

About YikeBike Ltd

YikeBike develops and manufactures mini-farthings with exceptional performance, design and safety. The first design is the YikeBike, the lightest smallest electric folding bike in the world. The vision at YikeBike is to create products that are fantastically functional and works of art.

The mini-farthing technology is available for licensing to other manufacturers to pursue variations such as pedalled, pedal assisted, injection moulded frames, youth versions, integration into cars and boats, etc.

YikeBike is backed by the two largest venture capital firms in New Zealand, Pioneer Capital Partners and K1W1, and the New Zealand Foundation for Research, Science and Technology.

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www.yikebike.com

YikeBike, the compact electric bike named by Time Magazine as one of the top inventions of 2009, will begin shipping to customers at the end of June 2010.

YikeBike mini-farthing will give people freedom in congested cities.

Friedrichshafen, September 2, 2009 – A radical new electric bicycle, launched today at EUROBIKE, is expected to transform the way urban commuters navigate congested cities.

A result of five years of research and development, YikeBike mini-farthing has a radically different riding position, steering mechanism and wheel configuration, giving a safe smooth ride while folding up to a super small size.