Unless you wear one of those jet packs (a la rocketman), not many of you would claim to wear his/her preferred mode of transport on the back. Chang Ting Jen recognizes this and wants to change it too. His entry in the International Bicycle Design Competition is tagged Backpack Bicycle, and it is easy to see just why. With public transport (MRT and buses) becoming all the more favored means to commute, increasingly bike is becoming inconvenient or downright superfluous. Its need is felt only when the inter-city buses leave us on our own to explore the city. As soon as the need for a foldable bike arises, the Backpack Bicycle steps in.


A brand new way to look at the foldable bicycles, this concept wants to make carrying around of bikes convenient to the fullest extent possible. Portable to the heart, Jen’s concept is a ‘backpack, a bicycle and a handcart, too.’ Backpack Bicycle is a normal enough bike, but as soon as user is done biking, it can be folded up into a backpack measuring just 60cm in length. But don’t you worry about bulk either; Backpack Bicycle is just 5.5 kg and would minimize weight using plastics in the main frame instead of metals. No sacrifice would be made in terms of features incorporated, and a head light, a brake light and turn signals, all find a place in the design. The target markets for this bike are workers and free travelers, but with those soaring oil prices and go green mindset, effectively, Backpack Bicycle seems just right for everyone.
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