With Design Council help Cambridge start-up aims to launch a 13-kg folding e-bike

The new Brompton folding e-bike weighs 13.4kg with a detachable battery bag on the front of the bike adding another 2.8kg. Hinton Bikes is currently aiming to produce a folding ebike with integrated battery and controller that weighs 13kg in total.

The Cambridge start-up recently enrolled with the Design Council’s Design Spark programme to bring its bike to market. 

Now in its fourth year, Spark is a product innovation support programme and fund. The programme provides design expertise to help shape business opportunities and develop product innovations through an intensive 16-week process, which gives access to specialists across business, IP, investment, and marketing. Successful applicants also gain funding of £15,000 to develop the product, and the opportunity to pitch for a share of up to £200,000 further funding.

Hinton Bikes also has funding from the Department for Transport, the EU, and some investors, as well as business support from the University of Cambridge Judge Business School and Allia Future Business Centre. 

The bike will launch early in 2019.

Hinton Bikes was founded by management consultant Alex Murray and mechanical engineer Dave Henderson. The pair met while studying for master’s degrees at Tsinghua University in Beijing. Murray used to work in London for OC&C Strategy Consultants while Henderson has a background in automotive engineering, mainly with Jaguar Land Rover

The firm is also involved with electrical engineer Hongwei Ma of the Beijing Institute of Technology, and designer David Turpin who has over 20 years’ experience designing consumer electronics in France and Hong Kong.

"We’ve been developing our folding ebike for 18 months and are finishing up our first prototype – the frame is done, the electrical system is being integrated," Murray told BikeBiz.

"As cycling and electric mobility enthusiasts frustrated with the slow pace of change, we are really excited to make this project a reality."