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iruka Inc. (Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Masaki Mark Kobayashi, Founder and President) announced “iruka”, a highly evolved folding bike superbly adapted for urban roadability, fold-up portability and storability, has been selected as one of the “JIDA Design Museum Selection vol. 22” held by The Japan Industrial Designers’ Association (JIDA).

JIDA Design Museum Selection is a museum activity in which JIDA, the only national organization of industrial designers in Japan, selects outstanding products that lead the times with the aim of promoting and enlightening industrial design, and widely announces, displays and stores the results.

 

For this year’s 22nd selection, 56 products were selected, including “Honda e” by Honda R&D Co., Ltd., “Glass Sound Speaker LSPX-S2” by Sony Home Entertainment & Sound Products Inc. and “HOME & CAMP Burner GS-600” by Snow Peak, Inc..

 

This year, iruka is the only bicycle to be selected, after BESV PSA1 and YAMAHA YPJ-C (Both are electric assist bicycles) in 2018 for the first time in 2 years, and as a non-electric assist bicycle for the first time in 8 years.

 

From May 6 to 12th this year, “JIDA Design Museum Selection Vol. 22 Tokyo Exhibition” will be held at Roppongi AXIS Gallery, displaying selected products, and iruka will also be exhibited.

 

Comment from the examiner

“It is a tool that can be taken to a variety of places by quickly changing its shape into one of the four different forms with a single touch, depending on the scene. When running, its small, maneuverable 18-inch wheels provide a comfortable ride, and when the rear wheel is folded, it can stand on its own anywhere. When walking, it can be pushed like a carry cart, with its front and rear wheels folded in parallel on one side. When folded down, it can even be carried into a bullet train car, making it a truly indispensable companion. ” (Selection Committee / FUJIMOTO Eiko)

 

Comment from Mark Kobayashi, Founder and President

“I am very honored that iruka was selected for the JIDA Design Museum Selection for the first time in 8 years as a non-electric assist bicycle, while the products of famous big companies are lined up, but actually I am not so surprised. The design of iruka, nicknamed “Super Beautiful Folding Bicycle” and “Bike Mac” has already been highly praised by Flippers (iruka owners) in Japan and overseas. I am interested in the overseas Flippers feeling Japanese design manners in iruka. For example, they seem to recall the Japanese sword from its minimal and elegant iruka frame, which is anodized like the Apple MacBook.”

 

Related links

JIDA

JIDA Design Museum Selection vol. 22 selected products

 

 

About iruka – from IT to manufacturing: the bike developed over a decade by a former executive of a listed Internet startup

 

Ten years in development, iruka was launched in the summer of 2019, and takes its name from the Japanese word for “dolphin”, which embodies liberation and wisdom as it glides through the boundless ocean. It’s a fitting symbol for a bicycle that enables riders to zip freely through city streets.

 

Mark was a founding member and CFO of OPT Inc. (now Digital Holdings Inc.), one of the largest online advertising agencies, when he bought a folding bike and began riding it to work. That experience inspired him to fixate on the idea of creating the best folding bike in the world. In 2008, with zero experience in the bicycle industry, he left the company to found iruka Inc..

 

Inspiration came at a friend’s wedding reception, when he noticed a sommelier knife (folding wine opener) that hinted at a folding bicycle mechanism for iruka. He found a product designer through a Google search, and began the design process. But given the sheer difficulty of the development work, and Kobayashi’s refusal to compromise his ideals, progress on the project was far from easy. It was only after ten years of taking the project to one factory after another in Taiwan and China, and going through nine generations of prototype, that the bike could be put on sale this year. For details on iruka’s development history, see Overview | Story.

 

iruka is currently sold in six countries: Japan, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and the Philippines. One and a half year after its launch, nearly 50% were shipped overseas, and over 70% of Instagram followers are overseas.

 

 

About the design – ideas on wheels

 

Riding, parking, carrying and storage, all achieved with a minimum number of parts – simple and smart. That’s iruka’s design concept.

 

Jackknife frame

The jackknife frame. A pair of symmetrical arcs gives iruka its distinct look. The rear wheel folds into the center slit, enabling the bike to fold beautifully compact. Iruka’s highly rigid structure is achieved by doing away with the hinge on the top tube – the backbone of a bicycle – resulting in unsurpassed (high level of) rideability and portability.

 

Front fork

With our newly developed telescopic folding mechanism, we boldly designed the front fork with only a single cantilevered bar supporting the wheel from the left. The front and rear wheels can fold parallel and coaxial to one another, allowing the bike to be easily rolled while in the folded position.

 

Rear fork

With the rear wheel folded, the bike stands on its own, resting on the front end of the rear frame. The elastomer suspension is mounted at the joint of the main frame, absorbing subtle vibrations while on the road.

 

Stem and handle post

Due to our custom telescopic folding mechanism, rigidity at the base of the stem – typically a small folding bike’s weakest point – is drastically increased. The adjustable height handle post can accommodate a wide variety of riding positions. And it becomes your bag carrier when you attach iruCatch.

 

Internal gear hub

An internal gear hub has many advantages: it is largely trouble and maintenance-free and you can change gears even when stationary. For iruka we chose the high-quality and reliable Shimano internal geared hub, Alfine 8. It assures peace of mind even when riding on difficult roads with numerous ups and downs and frequent starts and stops.

 

Brake

The mechanical disc brake has a 140mm small diameter rotor installed. It is excellent in braking force and operation, and works reliably in bad weather conditions.

 

Chain tensioner

It maintains optimal tension during riding and takes up the slack to prevent chain slippage when folding the bike.

 

Wheels

The 18-inch wheels are a good balance between steady speed and sharp maneuverability. In Walk mode, the wheels act as casters for rolling.

 

Coupler

A coupler connects the iruCarry and iruCart attachments. It also supports iruka in an upright vertical position in Sleep mode.

 

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Specs

Price: ¥212,800 + tax

Frame material: A6061 aluminum

Wheel diameter: 18-inch

Gear box: SHIMANO Alfine 8S (internal 8-speed gear hub)

Brakes: Mechanical disc brakes

For more details, see Overview | Specs.

 

About company

iruka Inc. is a bicycle company based in Tokyo. We create the products that make our travel time happier such as iruka folding bike and iruCart compact cycle trailer to achieve our vision, “a world where biking is considered cooler than riding a Mercedes would be slightly different”.

For more about our company, see Corporate.

 

Contact

info@iruka.tokyo