[leadin]For most of us, the idea of buying a bike from Ikea is, well, odd.[/leadin]
But the Swedish brand known for its build-it-yourself bookcases, odd lightbulb sizes, and delicious cafeteria meatballs has developed a commuter bike, and it’s good enough to have won the Red Dot Award for product design.
The Ikea Sladda — literally “Skid” in English if Google Translate is correct — is a utility bike with a belt drive and a trailer.
“The focus has been to develop a bike that needs little maintenance, and is a viable transportation option for the urban environment,” notes Ikea in a release.
The Sladda is built for utility and low-maintenance service. It has a rust and oil-free belt drive designed for nearly 10,000 miles. Ikea’s “click system” attaches accessories like racks and a bike bag that doubles as a backpack.
And then there’s the trailer, which allows this thing to function as a literal grocery-getter in urban environments.
The bike is designed by Oskar Juhlin, Jan Puranen, and Kristian Eke from Veryday design studio.
It hits stores in August, 2016. Some reports quote the price at around $600. And like all things Ikea, you’ll get to assemble it yourself, screwdriver not included.
