Rupert Goodwins' Diary
Children of the 80s rejoice! Sir Clive Sinclair is at it again! This time, he's popped up in Singapore, the market he's chosen as the first beneficiary of his latest invention, the A Bike. You won't be surprised to hear that this is a curious device: a pedal-powered folding bicycle that looks like a giant A with tiny wheels. Portable enough to carry with one hand, it concertinas down to a two foot by one foot space. It's mostly plastic, weighs just 5.5 kilograms, and can go at up to 15mph.
Sir Clive is very excited, saying that it has the capacity to revolutionise the way we move around cities. They said that about the Segway and people laughed, but then the Segway costs slightly more than the £160-ish that the A Bike is scheduled to require. Going on sale worldwide in 2005 -- although manufacturing will remain in Singapore -- I'll be sure to get a ride as soon as I can and I'll report back.
Looks useful, to be honest, although there is the risk -- as with so many Sinclair products -- that you'll look like a bit of a plonker riding one. As long as it doesn't collapse in mid-pedal, and as long as those tiny wheels don't get stuck in ruts and craters, it could be a genuine success.
And yes, says Sir Clive, there is an electric variant in development.
Bet we end up peddling anyway (a C5 veteran writes).