Home > Other Fun Stuff > Kickstarter

Not enough space for your bike? The Urbancyclo Quicktwist stem has a fix

Written by michael gushulak
photo c. Urbancyclo
23 Comments
Support us! Bikerumor may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. Learn More

Quicktwist_bar_spin_Front

Urbancyclo, is a UK startup with a fresh take on how to efficiently store bikes, particularly in small spaces. The design promises to reduce the width of the bike by up to 80%, and will allow the user to rotate the handlebars up to 90° in either direction. Twist past the break to see how…

photo c. Urbancyclo
photo c. Urbancyclo

The Quicktwist seems to be a good alternative to storing one’s bike without carrying a pesky 4-5mm wrench around. Or, at the very least, having to labor through pulling it out of a pocket. After a quick release is opened, the collar slides towards the rider and releases an internal mechanism that allows the handlebars to be spun 90º in either direction.

The stem will work with a plethora of bikes, and adheres to relevant international safety marks such as ISO/EN/BS.

Quicktwist_Stem

A Kickstarter page is coming soon, and supporters are promised up to 50% off the planned future msrp of £68 (~$90). Included in the Kickstarter page will be the opportunity to choose special colors and create personalized stems.

UrbanCyclo.com
michael gushulak
0 articles
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

23 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Michael
Michael
8 years ago

That is scary. I wouldn’t want ride off a curb or hit a pothole with that.

0
Reply
PizzaSauce
PizzaSauce
8 years ago

If that doesn’t seem like a death trap to you, you are out of your mind.

Carrying an allen wrench > Hospital bills

0
Reply
Flatbiller
Flatbiller
8 years ago

Solution, meet Problem.

Hello? Problem? Where are you?

0
Reply
Champs
Champs
8 years ago
Reply to  Flatbiller

Like Schmese said, it makes all the difference in tight spaces. One of my bikes squeezes into a very small footprint because of its flat bars and quill stem. Maybe you’d want to cram

0
Reply
Char
Char
8 years ago

Good god that is terrifying

0
Reply
Jagshot
Jagshot
8 years ago

Employee: what are these for?
Boss: to make it possible to cram even more bikes in the back room.

0
Reply
Todd
Todd
8 years ago

Would love to meet their legal team, know how they plan to navigate the liability on that contraption. Americans love litigation.

0
Reply
Schmese
Schmese
8 years ago

@Flatbiller

Living in a San Francisco apartment where both household members ride, bike storage is a real problem. We have 6-8 bikes in our apartment at any given time and our backroom has to be traversable.

I remove and replace the handlebars and pedals on all of our bikes (esp since we run wide bars on our mtbs) on a regular basis.

0
Reply
Dylan
Dylan
8 years ago
Reply to  Schmese

That is crazy. There are just so many different ways of doing it while leaving your bikes accessible and ready to ride. What is wrong with staggering the height at which you hang the bikes so your bars & pedals don’t line up? Or just alternate hanging one from the front wheel and one from the rear wheel (e.g. like this [no affiliation] https://www.monkeybarstorage.com/bike-rack)? Mixing road and mountain, the total amount of space you would need even with wide bars on the MTBs is only one set of road bars wider than you can achieve removing cranks and bars. There are also a bunch of solutions that stack bikes one above the other, many of them that don’t require permanent fixing like this https://www.amazon.com/Swagman-Hang-It-Bike-Hanger/dp/B000GTNIQI/ref=lp_3403371_1_17?s=outdoor-recreation&ie=UTF8&qid=1467166185&sr=1-17 (if you’re a renter and regular inspections mean you couldn’t get away with patching the plaster when you leave).

0
Reply
Nathan
Nathan
8 years ago
Reply to  Schmese

pro tip: there is a reply button now

0
Reply
Thor29
Thor29
8 years ago

My commuter bike is a Surly Troll but if I needed to store it in a tighter space, I’d just switch to a bike with a drop bar instead. How many urban commuters use wide mountain bike handlebars anyway? Around here, it’s a minority for sure.

0
Reply
mudrock
mudrock
8 years ago

It’s a great idea. Most commuters I see are on flat bars. S & S couplers have been around for years and work fine. This thing looks like it works on a similar principal, though probably not same quality or materials.

0
Reply
Ol'shel'
Ol'shel'
8 years ago

I’d hook mine up to lever on the bar so that I can thread through tight trees at high speed, without having to give up my wide bars.

0
Reply
Jason Miles
Jason Miles
8 years ago

How does your stem meet ISO safety standards if it is clearly a 3D printed plastic prototype?

0
Reply
Lonesome Hank
Lonesome Hank
8 years ago

Thank god, I was so tired of having to loosen two bolts on my stem and rotate my handlebars.

0
Reply
VazzedUp
VazzedUp
8 years ago

Add a locking mechanism so that it can be secured either vertical or horizontal, and it would be one more theft deterrent.

0
Reply
anonymous
anonymous
8 years ago

Doesn’t seem like a great design. I would have opted for a heavy duty folding bike type joint that was angled at 45 degrees.

0
Reply
Adrian Andrei Oltean
Adrian Andrei Oltean
8 years ago

It is the most effective anti-theft on ntru bike that I’ve seen so far. I’d like to see someone who dares to steal and drive a bike with handlebars in that position!

0
Reply
joenomad
joenomad
8 years ago

At least it’s not another smart helmet!

0
Reply
MTB4me
MTB4me
8 years ago

Ok, now what about flip-up cranks and/or pedals….? So we can really get flat!

0
Reply
typevertigo
typevertigo
8 years ago
Reply to  MTB4me

Many folding bikes already come with folding pedals. Japanese firm MKS has a couple of designs; they’re probably some of the more robust folding pedals out there as they’re made of metal.

0
Reply
Rixter
Rixter
8 years ago

That’s not a bad idea, as long as the stem can be secured 100% so that it never shifts out of position while riding

0
Reply
Ryan
Ryan
8 years ago

Show me a video of an actual working production model being flogged down a mountainside by a real person in one continuous take, or an extended test report and I might be willing to trust this, but the photos show a clearly 3d printed plastic model. Merely saying that it meets safety standards without really specifying exactly which standards and where this certification can be verified also seems suspect to me. Not a terrible concept in principle, but definitely not something that I would risk my money or my safety on based on what’s presented here. Buyer beware.

0
Reply

Subscribe Now

Sign up to receive BikeRumor content direct to your inbox.