New bike wants to make city commuting more comfortable

Furniture companies like Ikea and Blu Dot may be pushing sleek, minimalist bikes as part of their product lines, but a newly funded campaign on Kickstarter looks to shake up bike design.

Made by the start-up Monkey Faction, the Capuchin bike combines the comfort of a scooter with the tire width and suspension of a mountain bike. The result? A unique take that could make city commuting a breeze.

Named after a Central and South American monkey, the Capuchin lets riders sit upright and offers a step-through frame to make it easy to jump on and off the bike. One of the major differences from a traditional bike is the seat, which looks a bit like the banana-style seats popular in the 1960s.

According to Monkey Faction, “The saddle is long and well cushioned so riders of all heights can find their sweet spot” without adjusting the seat height.

That comfort is combined with some seriously beefy 4.0 tires and an alloy, coil-spring suspension fork that can handle plenty of potholes. Throw in the disc brakes and the Kickstarter price tag of $379 and you’ve got a reasonably priced cruiser that can also handle the wear and tear of city life.

In addition, the Capuchin comes with battery mounts and cable guides already installed so that bikers can add an electric motor kit. The first bikes—which come in two sizes and four colors—will be delivered in July 2017. Watch the video below and head over here for more info.