since last year, i’ve been leading the product design of a foldable cargo bike developed in hamburg. the concept merges the load capacity of a long-john bike with a compact folding mechanism.
beyond physical design, my role covers the holistic development of the bike: from cad, packaging concepts, and structural detailing to prototyping, material decisions, and production-oriented iteration. i work at the intersection of engineering, user needs, and design intent.
check out the website foldride.com
the challenge:
in urban contexts, many cargo bikes offer great load capacity but fail to address the real constraints of daily life: small apartments, limited bike parking, and the need to combine bikes with public transit or car travel.
we set out to design a new mobility category
we start with the people: talking to current and potential users to understand their needs, challenges, and expectations in detail. it provides the foundation to address issues like space constraints, transport, and handling.
by mapping a typical journey with conventional cargo bikes (from purchase decisions to daily routines) we uncovered persistent challenges users face:
lack of guidance when choosing the right model, difficulty storing the bike, and barriers when combining it with public transport. these moments of friction revealed opportunities that became the starting point for FOLD’s design.
to translate these findings into clear product direction, we developed a market positioning matrix.
this helped us map existing cargo bike solutions, identify white space opportunities, and strategically position our foldable concept, balancing load capacity, portability, and urban readiness.
from this foundation, several key developments followed
positioning: FOLD is not a bike for everyone, but perfect for those who need cargo flexibility and space efficiency. It’s designed for urban dwellers, freelancers, young families, or micro-businesses who lack a garage but still need to transport things.
modularity & accessories: the research showed that users often hack their bikes to suit changing needs. we identified a need for a modular system – adapters, storage add-ons, and potential subscription-based services.
go-to-market strategy: what makes FOLD unique? where and how do we sell it? we’re now exploring pre-order models, urban retail pop-ups, and key storytelling hooks to reach early adopters.
the transfer:
a central part of my work has been connecting engineering decisions with real-world use cases. this includes aligning folding kinematics, load scenarios, and component choices with transport standards, serviceability, and long-term maintenance. discussions with partners such as deutsche bahn informed design constraints for train transport, directly influencing geometry, folded dimensions, and handling logic.
i’ve been closely involved in early builds, testing, and feedback loops with users and partners – coordinating components, tolerances, and interfaces to ensure the bike works not only as a prototype, but as a scalable, production-ready product. the focus has always been on robustness, clarity of use, and technical coherence across the entire system.
throughout the project, i’ve built deep expertise in the field of urban mobility from a product and engineering perspective. regular visits to eurobike, continuous exchange with manufacturers, suppliers, and engineers, and hands-on evaluation of competing concepts have sharpened my understanding of construction principles, regulatory frameworks, and emerging technical solutions in the cargo bike sector.