Stuff Gadget Guide - UK - Issue 4 (2022-01)

ALTERNATIVELY... OR GO ELECTRIC... DON’T GET LOST

68

STUFF PICKSSTUFF PICKS

You may have spotted Team

GB athletes riding AC Attos

during downtime at the Rio

Olympics, which indicates

the elite level of Austin’s

cute foldable. It’s built around

a carbon monocoque frame,

with the forks, handlebars,

seatpost, belt-drive

transmission and 38mm

wheels also made from

carbon. You can even add

carbon mudguards for £200

(ouch). Add a titanium-railed

saddle, and this bike weighs

in at just 8.2kg.

Available in a single-speed

version, or with a £500

Shimano Alfine 11-speed hub

for those with a perversion

for hills, it also has Shimano

hydraulic disc brakes for

when you eventually career

down the other side.

The folding mechanism

is a simple case of seeing

the handlebars and saddle

drop down, before the frame

folds in half along with the

pedals. The process takes a

PB-busting 10 to 20 seconds

with practice, and magnets

hold everything in place so

the frame won’t swing out

and clothesline any toddlers

on the train home.

Beeline Velo

Simplicity is the

selling point with

this bike GPS.

Open the phone

app, tap in your

destination, give

it a once-ove r

and mount the

unit to your bars

(or stem) with

its silicone strap...

and you’re good

to go. Now all

you have to do

is follow the big

arrow. Neat.

£99 / beeline.co

Brompton

B75

Brilliantly built

and reliably solid,

Brompton’s B75

is a steel-framed

three-speed

that collapses

away in seconds.

Compact enough

to store in public

transport nooks

or city apartment

crannies, it’ll even

squeeze under

a desk.

£795 /

brompton.com

GoCycle GX

The GX has

a fast-folding

mechanism that

takes under 10

seconds. A 250W

motor assists

pedalling up to

20mph, with a

range of 40 miles.

The cheaper GS

model has a more

fiddly collapsing

mechanism

but identical

performance.

£2899 /

gocycle.com

Austin AC Atto

£2500 / austincycles.cc

ABSOLUTE BELTER

A belt-drive means no

chain, so it won’t leave

you with oily trousers,

while the optional

Exposure TraceR lights

are powerful, compact

and USB-rechargeable.

FOLDING