Ikea to start selling bikes from August

If I was on the market for a robust city bike with hub gears and minimum maintenance, I'd go for an Elephant Bike. A refurbished, bullet proof, ex-Royal Mail bike for £250 that also gives a bike to someone in Africa: 

http://elephantbike.co.uk/

I approve of the simplicity.

So many in the UK buy cheap bikes made of fragile components that they don't know how to maintain. Once they've developed a few faults, they're never used again. Anyone who has communal storage will be familiar with this problem, especially if you've got renters who leave them behind when they move out.

It wouldn't be my spec, but if it comes to the UK it's a good thing to have more bikes like that easily available at retail.

Nice to see mudguards as standard, being Ikea I assume they'll be selling a rack right alongside it.

At €699 it's a bit steep, but Ikea Family is free so you'd be a fool to not be getting the €200 discount. At which point it appears to be a pretty good price if it's well built with decent components. 

Could do with not being white, mindyou

Is there a matching lampshade?

very happy to see this

The more bikes are sold as lifestyle requirements like a sofa or a bed and less like a piece of technical sports equipment the closer we come to the dutch model of transportation.

Quote:

“like a tablet with apps: there’s the possibility to endlessly add accessories for enhancing the ease of use.”

Erm - isn't that the same as most bikes?

If it's the bike shown; with just 2 gears & a rear coaster brake, it is very euro & doesn't seem typical IKEA value. At least it's not disposable.

The 'click system' seems more interesting, but please allow it to be a universal standard. Use the headtube location for a front rack/basket/bag/light(?) & at the rear for rack/bag/child seat/light etc. When not in use, the bike headbadge would use the headtube fitting. If unobtrusive, such a system could be useful for all but racing bikes. Bikepackers, audaxers, commuters etc could all benefit when desired.

They must have teamed up with cycling widows as I suspect it's all a ploy to replace the sunday ride this a trip to look at soft furnishing

Bikes as furniture. Cycling is finally becoming normal.

I'll go first then shall I? Will you have to put it together yourself with a crappy little Allen key (supplied)?