Core77 - Blog • Jan. 30, 2026, 3 p.m.

Brompton is probably the market leader for folding bikes. However, their single-hinge folding design, while fast and convenient, sacrifices ride quality.

Architect Il Hoon Roh thus set out to design a bicycle that would maintain the stiffness of a traditional diamond frame, yet still be able to break down. The result, which took nearly a decade of development work, is his Mikalon bike: The breakdown/assembly process is not for the faint of heart: That's because ease-of-transformation was not the priority.

Instead Roh sought to design a light, stiff and fast bicycle that you'd actually want to ride. The Mikalon is produced-to-order, and each design is customized to the rider's dimensions: "Frame sizing is determined primarily by rider height; however, as with high-end road bicycles, crank arm length, stem length, and handlebar width must be finalised at the time of order.

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