Secede: a Folding Electric Bike That Doesn’t Fold

Electric bikes are a growing trend in cities and suburbs these days, and even carmakers like Kia, Smart, and Ford (through their partnes at Pedego) are getting into the game with electric 2-wheelers of their own. Despite their commuter-friendly mission statements, however, these electric bikes can be tough to get on and off trains and busses – even harder, in some cases, than their lighter, non-electrified brethren. Now, if someone made a folding electric bike, that would solve the problem, but there are so many wires, batteries, and other techno-whizzy-things involved that it’s tough to make a clever product in that space. That is, unless you’re the guys behind the Secede, who came up with a clever folding electric bike that doesn’t fold at all.

Secede Folding Electric Bike Doesn’t Fold at All

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As you can see from the photos, above, the Secede doesn’t actually fold – it splits!

The two halves of the bike can be removed by undoing a quick-release latch in the Secede’s down tube. Once separated, the bike’s two halves can be stuffed into a set of custom-fitted bags (included) for storage in the cargo overhead compartment of an airplane, train, or a even a gym/office locker. All the electronic stuff is totally separated in its half, and starts working again instantly once you put it back together.

Unfortunately, all this cleverness doesn’t come cheap. The bike is expected to sell for nearly $7000 (yes, seven-thousand US American dollars) once it makes its way to American bike shops. For that, you get a carbon-framed bike powered by a 500-watt brushless electric motor, a 36-volt/9.5-amp-hour lithium-ion Panasonic (nee Tesla) battery that’s housed in the rear fender, a Rock Shox Recon RL Air suspension fork, an SRAM X9 drivetrain, and super-swanky Avid Elixir disc brakes.

It’s a neat trick, and there’s not another folding electric bike out there (that I know of) that can match the Secede’s specs … but is it worth the price of nearly 3 Smart bikes? Or a used Smart CAR? Let us know what you think in the comments, below. Enjoy!

Source | Images: Gizmag.