Video: 6kg, 3D printed frame bike unveiled by plane giant Airbus

6kg, 3D printed frame bike unveiled by plane giant Airbus.

Check out this 3D printed bike that might look like a super-funky mountain-bike/motorcycle crossbreed but is actually the first step by Aeronautic giant Airbus into the world of two-wheelers.

Called Light Rider, the bike is the world’s first 3D printed bike and is capable of speeds up to 80kmh. It tips the scales at just 35kg and can get 60km out of one fully charged battery (the battery is exchangeable with another fully-charged item once depleted).

The frame and swingarm, which weight just 6kg, are made up of thousands of 30 micron-thin layers of metallic powder fused by lasers. The component suspension parts are straight off a mountain-bike but the concept for more two-wheelers, and something much closer to an actual motorcycle is on the cards.

And with that sort of planning and tech coming from such a massive company as Airbus it’s a possible pointed to a major player of the electric bike future.

“With the Light Rider we at APWorks demonstrate our vision of future urban mobility”, says engineer Stefanus Stahl. “We have used our know how of optimization and manufacturing, to create means of transportation, that match our expectations”, explains APWorks’s Niels Grafen.

Only 50 of these bikes will be made and as of yesterday you can pre-order one – but they’re hugely expensive so don’t go rushing to grab one just yet. The Light Rider costs a whopping 50,000 Euro.

Here’s the video of the Light Rider so far: