The Mini125 is a design of

portable bicycle A portable bicycle is a bicycle that has been designed to be small and light enough for easy carrying. It is usually dismantled to make a convenient bundle and the frame often has a folding action to facilitate this. The design of a portable bic ...

. The current production{{when, date=May 2025 features four models that have the same frame design but different wheels. The standard model weighs 5.9 kg, folds into a 73 cm × 36 cm × 22 cm package and has

polyurethane Polyurethane (; often abbreviated PUR and PU) is a class of polymers composed of organic chemistry, organic units joined by carbamate (urethane) links. In contrast to other common polymers such as polyethylene and polystyrene, polyurethane term ...

wheels of

diameter In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the centre of the circle and whose endpoints lie on the circle. It can also be defined as the longest Chord (geometry), chord of the circle. Both definitions a ...

125 mm or 110 mm. The gear assembly is typical of city bikes, while the transmission uses a minimoto

chain A chain is a serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression but linear, rigid, and load-bearing in tension. A ...

and

pinion A pinion is a round gear—usually the smaller of two meshed gears—used in several applications, including drivetrain and rack and pinion systems. Applications Drivetrain Drivetrains usually feature a gear known as the pinion, which may v ...

. Mini125 is marketed under the MDEbikes brand and was released and presented at the 2003 Handmade Bicycle Show of

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

. The bike is designed and developed by Giuseppe and Paolo Ganio of

Turin, Italy Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

. (Giuseppe is also an

entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value in ways that generally entail beyond the minimal amount of risk (assumed by a traditional business), and potentially involving values besides simply economic ones. An entreprene ...

at :it:Mdebikes,

Alpignano Alpignano (; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italy, Italian region Piedmont, located about west of Turin on the Dora Riparia in the Val di Susa plain. Twin towns – sister cities Alpignano is town twin ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

.) The Mini125_100 has 100 mm diameter wheels, the smallest in the world on a riding bicycle. Made of high-rebound polyurethane, they achieve low rolling friction despite the small diameter. Another model, Mini125_p, features pneumatic tires for riding in historic city districts. The Mini125 was originally designed with

roller ski Roller skiing is an off-snow equivalent to cross-country skiing. Roller skis have wheels on their ends and are used on a hard surface to emulate .Bryhn, Rolf and Knut Are Tvedt (eds.): ''Kunnskapsforlagets idrettsleksikon''. (Norwegian Encyclopedi ...

wheels, the only 100 mm quality polyurethane wheels then available. Polyurethane

kick scooters A kick scooter (also referred to as a push-scooter or scooter) is a human-powered street vehicle with a handlebar, deck, and wheels propelled by a rider pushing off the ground with their leg. Today the most common scooters are made of aluminum ...

wheels became available during development. Since inline speed skates began using larger wheels, such as 100 mm and 110 mm, the Mini125 can use those.

Technical specification

* Weight: 5.9 kg * Wheel diameter: 125 mm or 110 mm * Wheel tire: PU super high rebound * Transmission: 84x8T with free wheel * Dimensions when folded: 73 cm × 36 cm × 22 cm * Rider weight: up to 80 kg * Rider height: 110 cm to 190 cm

References

Cyclesports, issue 34, volume 7, May 2003, "Handmade Bicycle Fair 2003", Page 46
YAESU

Velovision ''VeloVision'' was a quarterly magazine that covered specialised bicycles, utility cycling and human power worldwide since 2000 and was originally published and edited by Peter Eland. The format is 230mm x 280mm (slightly over A4). The headquar ...

, issue 16, December 2004, "The Italian Job", Page 34, ISSN 1475-4312.

External links

Mini125 Web Site
Folding bicycles de:Faltrad it:Bicicletta pieghevole nl:Vouwfiets ja:折り畳み自転車 pl:Rower składany sv:Hopfällbar cykel zh:折叠车

Technical specification

See also

References

External links