From Workshop Experiment to Production Bike: The Handmade Story Behind FOLDEE
Every bike starts somewhere. For FOLDEE, it didn’t start in a big factory or a corporate design studio. It started in a small workshop in Melbourne with a simple question: could a cargo bike be designed to go anywhere, carry serious loads, and still fold small enough to live easily in the city?
Cargo bikes are incredibly useful, but they come with a problem. They’re big, awkward to store, difficult to transport, and often impractical for people living in apartments or small houses. Folding bikes solve the storage issue, but they’re rarely designed to carry serious cargo.
The idea behind FOLDEE was to bridge that gap.
The First Experiments
Like many good ideas, the first version wasn’t elegant. It was experimental.
The early concept was built by combining an off-the-shelf bike with a custom front end to test whether the geometry and load distribution would actually work. It was a proof of concept more than a finished design. The goal was simply to see whether a cargo bike could remain stable and ride naturally while still incorporating a folding mechanism.
Once the basic idea proved viable, the real work began.
Working together with Melbourne frame builders LOOP, the concept started to evolve into something much more refined. Rather than modifying an existing bike, the next step was designing an entirely new frame from scratch that integrated the cargo platform and folding system into the structure of the bike itself.
This meant countless small design decisions and a lot of trial and error.
Designing Through Trial and Error
Frame building is as much craft as engineering. Each prototype revealed something new.
Some changes were obvious. Others were tiny details that only became clear after hours of riding, loading cargo, or folding and unfolding the bike repeatedly.
Hinge mechanisms were tested, adjusted, and redesigned. Folding systems were simplified so they could eventually be operated without tools. Geometry was tweaked to make sure the bike still rode like a “normal” bike despite carrying cargo and having a folding frame.
Prototypes were built, ridden, modified, and sometimes stripped down again to test individual components.
At one stage the frames were stress-tested without components. At other stages, complete bikes were built and ridden in real-world conditions.
The testing wasn’t limited to quiet test rides either.
The prototypes were ridden on city streets, bike paths, rough roads and even in events like the Melbourne Roobaix, a race famous for its cobblestones and relentless vibration. If a design flaw existed, that race was likely to find it.
Real Riders, Real Feedback
One of the most valuable parts of the process was getting the bikes into the hands of other riders.
Friends, family, bike industry colleagues, bike couriers, commuters and enthusiasts all spent time riding the prototypes. Some used them for everyday errands, others simply wanted to see how a folding cargo bike felt on the road.
The feedback was revealing.
Many riders initially expected the bike to feel unusual or awkward. Instead, one of the most common reactions was surprise at how normal it felt to ride. Despite the cargo capacity and folding system, the bike handled more like a traditional bicycle than people expected.
That feedback helped guide further refinements, including improvements to manoeuvrability, folding mechanisms, and load carrying.
Craftsmanship in Melbourne
The early frames were handmade in Melbourne using high-quality chromoly steel tubing.
Each frame required careful welding, alignment, and finishing by experienced builders. In small workshops like LOOP, frame building is still a craft. Every joint matters. Every alignment check matters.
The limited production runs meant each frame took time, attention, and patience.
This hands-on approach allowed the design to evolve organically. Changes could be made quickly, new ideas tested immediately, and problems solved one prototype at a time.
But it also revealed an obvious limitation.
Handbuilt bikes are wonderful, but they’re slow to produce and expensive to scale.
Designing for Production
Once the design had matured through multiple prototypes, the next challenge was figuring out how to bring the bike to a wider audience.
This meant thinking about manufacturing very differently.
Instead of one frame at a time in a workshop, the design had to be adapted for large-scale production. Components needed to be simplified. Some parts needed to be redesigned so they could be produced more efficiently.
In some cases this meant reducing welds by using precision-manufactured components or exploring technologies like 3D-printed metal parts that could simplify complex joints.
The goal wasn’t to lose the spirit of the original handmade design. It was to make it practical to build at scale.
Partnering with Asian Manufacturers
Taiwan has long been one of the world’s centres for high-quality bicycle manufacturing. Many of the most respected bikes in the world are produced there.
Working with experienced manufacturers in Asia makes it possible to combine precision manufacturing, advanced materials, and consistent quality with the lessons learned during the handmade prototype phase in Melbourne.
The aim is simple: preserve the thoughtful design and riding experience developed through the prototypes while making the bikes accessible to far more riders.
A Bike Built From Experiment
FOLDEE is still evolving. New prototypes and samples are still being built. Folding mechanisms are still being refined. Materials like titanium are being explored alongside steel.
But the foundation of the bike remains the same: a concept that started with experimentation, practical testing, and a willingness to iterate until things felt right.
It’s a reminder that some of the best designs don’t come from perfect plans. They come from workshops, conversations, mistakes, improvements, and the slow process of building something better one prototype at a time.