We're losing the folder arms race...

I typically keep the news I feature on my site local, but every once in a while I see an outside story that I feel has far broader implications than it might seem at first. This is one of those instances. It all began when I pulled up Austin Bike Blog this morning and saw something rather... interesting:

Despite looking like the vehicle of a light cycle pilot who had one too many DUIs, this actually seems to be a rather well thought out design. Beyond being infinitely adjustable for nearly ANY riding position and breaking down to the size of a medium suitcase, the bike has built-in lights, fenders, a rather decent looking locking mechanism, and even disc brakes!

So what's my beef with this folder? Well, the moment I laid eyes on it, I felt like I'd seen it (or something similar) somewhere before, but the memory was lost to the shifting ether of time. The more I thought about it the more it irked me, until just a few minutes ago when it all became crystal clear:

Holy shit, they ripped off the Cyclone! NOW I know what this reminded me of! Seriously, look at those two pictures and tell me that this new bike isn't just a disarmed, de-motorized version of the VR-052 Battler!

This thought has me worried. I mean even though the transforming motorcycle featured above was fictional at the time, it was designed back in the early 80s before miniaturization and computing technology had progressed to the point we're at in the 21st century. Imagine the progress they've made since then! We cannot allow our transformable bicycles to fall behind. They must be armored, and most importantly they must be armed. After all, this is Texas; isn't that part of our heritage?

I guess that means it's back to the drawing boards for you guys. Lets see the next iteration show those motorized transformers how it's done!