Halfbike, a Bicycle With No Seats, Can Be Bought in S’pore from $1.2k

2021-03-14 , 12:15 pm

Typically, a bicycle in Singapore can cost you as little as S$50, depending on the quality.

In fact, if you want a sports bike, you can get one for S$225 at Decathlon.

But what if I were to tell you that if you remove the bicycle’s seat, it’ll cost S$1,200?

Yes, it’s true.

But trust me, there’s a reason for it.

Halfbike is an Eastern European invention.

Hailing from Sofia, Bulgaria, the seatless bicycle can hit a top speed of 40kmph.

It can get pretty dangerous though, with it losing stability the faster it gets.

According to a Facebook post uploaded to the Singapore Folding bike group on 7 Mar, these seatless bicycles are now in Singapore.

It reportedly costs S$1,200 to S$1,300 to ship one halfbike to Singapore.

So, why the astronomical price tag?

Compact But Powerful

As you can tell by its shape, the main reason why people would prefer this over regular bicycles is how compact it is.

Folded, it can fit comfortably into the trunk of a normal car.

Halfbike has been around for seven years, and improvements were constantly made to the device.

The bike supposedly weighs lesser than 9kg (20lbs) and can hold a weight of 100kg.

As mentioned, it can hit as high as 40kmph and the current version comes with four speeds in its internal hub.

To operate the halfbike, you’ll have to pedal while standing on the device.

Unlike conventional bicycles, you’ll need your whole body to operate it smoothly.

Instead of turning the handlebars, you’ll have to lean your body towards the direction you want to navigate to, just like a skateboard.

Here, you can watch the video below to get a feel for it:

Here’s another video if you want more references:

The halfbike would probably be the right fit for fitness enthusiasts, those who ride not just to get from point A to B, but to get a workout as well.

Will it catch on in Singapore? Probably, given our penchant for trying out shiny new toys.

But whether it’ll be banned subsequently like e-scooters depends on how the riders behave here.

Would you get one for yourself?

Feature Image: Facebook / Halfbike