Xiaomi launches Qicycle, a foldable electric smart bike

Xiaomi has been trying really hard to get rid of the tag of being a phone company only. The company has launched various internet connected devices over the past year, including wearables, air purifiers, kettles and rice cookers.

Xiaomi has ensured that the QiCycle is a unique offering and it comes with features that will help it lure the prospective buyers.

The bike is made of carbon fibre and weighs only 14.5 kg. Xiaomi announced an affordable electric bicycle on Thursday.

And the company also claims that the QiCycle bike is compact and on folding, it can fit in the boot of most cars. Some outlets have reported that the Electric Folding Bike is also built by iRiding, and we’ve reached out to Xiaomi for confirmation. Also inside are Panasonic 18650 20 x 2900mAh lithium-ion battery cells. Having a maximum speed of 20km/h, the cycle has a smart meter which allows you to set different riding speeds.

The Mi QiCycle is one of the products of the company’s sub-brand ‘Mi Ecosystem.’ This sub-brand aims to cover products that are manufactured by Xiaomi’s ecosystem partners.

The bike’s functioning is based on the “IDbike Torque Measurement Method”, which uses sensors to optimise the effort the rider puts into pedalling. That model was created by iRiding (a startup company in which Xiaomi invested) and was pricier costing around $3000.

Gear shifters from Japanese firm Shimano handled the mechanical aspect of the bicycle, which comes with a mobile application that can provide real-time information on the state of the bicycle, data on the how much it ran, as well as a Global Positioning System trajectory of the route.

Xiaomi is marketing the new folding bicycle as an extraordinary mode of transportation to get around China’s crowded cities.