Sir Clive Sinclair took BikeBiz.com to task this morning. We got a few details wrong, he said. Most of the A-Bike - a micro folding bike - was designed in the UK, only the detailing was designed by Daka in the Far East. And far from being a rough ride, the A-Bike is surprisingly comfortable, said Sir Clive.

Sinclair’s A-bike will be available in bike shops

Sir Clive suggested BikeBiz.com take the prototype A-Bike for a test ride before commenting again on the machine’s comfort factor.

"Bikes don’t like potholes at the best of times," he said.

"The A-Bike is more comfortable than you’d think. You wouldn’t know you were on a bicycle with such small wheels."

Sir Clive believes his bike – fully designed in London – will appeal to commuters who may not have thought about owning a folding bike to date.

At 5kg and "remarkably small in the bag", the A-Bike can be carried easily and "extends the use of folding bikes."

An early prototype was shown to cycle design guru Mike Burrows, who designed a folding bike for Giant (although the commercially-available version did not use much of Burrows’ radical design).

"We seek advice wherever we can," said Sinclair.

"Mike is an expert I respect."

Sinclair believes A-Bikes could be available by the second quarter of 2005. Worldwide sales would be handled by Daka; UK sales would be handled by Sinclair Research.

As well as retailing the $299 A-Bike via mail order ads and the Sinclair Research website, Sir Clive Sinclair would like take up from bike shops.

"We shall be launching through the retail trade," he said.

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