Indeed, helical hinge were known from the beginning of the project but they are complex and expensive to build.
For the protection against dirt (I would say that the two helical hinge are placed at the worst place for dirt on a bike),a mudguard would protect the fork helical hinge, but there is little space:
Originally Posted by
Raxel
Just imagine assembling such a complex bike. It will take many times longer than assembling a "normal" bike. And how much do they charge for tuneups in Canada?
I fully agree with you: this frame is very complex and is surely very expensive to build, much more than classic bikes and other folders, these high costs to build the bike come on top of the titanium price while the bike price is very low.
If you compare with the Seattle Cycles Burke (also folding, also titanium, US made), the price is 2 to 3 times higher while the bike isn't as complex to build.