So, I recently discovered this donky bike, and given specs, the price, how compact it is, I think it's almost perfect.
But I don't think they produce it anymore π
this post was submitted on 14 Jul 2025
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I was going to say I wanted to see video of it in action, but after search on YT (video was not much more than your picture) in the recommendations I saw the donkey bike (aka velocinno, or velocino?) that looks like a more interesting small (but odd) bike.
Odd because small front wheel (normal back wheel) and optional wraparound-behind-rider handlebars. Both gray footage (and British narration) and also many people chopping 2 bikes together (a child's bike for the front wheel) to make it.
No idea on how it is to ride (at least inverted) though.
I mentioned in another comment retro-direct drive, pedalling backwards for the low gear would make something like this even weirder/cooler.
Sad to say that I'm really fond of the Specialized Crux. Silly expensive but oh so nice.
Unless we're talking about going all out, practicality and affordability be damned in the name of every marginal gain possible, it's probably the road bike I already own:
Cannondale CAAD13 (alloy frame), mechanical 105 with hydraulic disc brakes and a set of alloy DT Swiss wheels (PR 1600).
Just one dream bike? :D
I recently finished building up a 2023 Trek 920 from a bare frame and for this embodies everything a bike needs to be:
- durable/robust
- resilient/fault tolerant
- all the braze-ons
- does everything I want it to do: urban commuter, randonneuring, grocery-getter, leisure riding, loaded touring, gravel, single-track, jumps, XC...
- fast (enough) yet comfortable: even with the tires I use for thrashing swoopy, mixed surface singletrack; I am less than 0.5MPH down from my average speed on my fast commuter
- loads of carrying capacity
- will accept pretty much any build configuration: 3x9 to 2x11 to 1x12
- doesn't break the bank
- easy/quick to change loadout for different uses
- Deore XT direct-mount crank 165mm, 32T
- Deore XT SGS rear derailleur
- Deore XT Linkglide cassette, 11-42T and 11-51T, depending on use case
- Microshift 11sp bar-end shifter
- TRP Hylex hydraulic brakes
- 203mm front rotor for more refined modulation on loose and slippery surfaces
- Velo Orange cartridge hubs front and rear
- Spank Flare 24 Vibrocore rims, set up for tubeless
- Phil Wood double-butted spokes
- Bontrager Betasso RSL GX tubeless tires - I strongly believe there is no such thing as an all-conditions tire; this tire just about proves me wrong
- Liv Forward carbon rail saddle, because breedin' hips came attached to my Y chromosome
- Jagwire Elite Link shift cable, with an inline barrel adjuster near the handlebars - dial out any shift rattle on the fly
- Velo Orange Nouveau Randonneur handlebars, 46cm
- Trek Touring front rack (not shown)
- Trek Backtrack MIK rear rack (not shown)
- Cane Creek 110 headset
- Revelate Designs tangle bag (not shown)
- Salsa Rack-Lock seat collar for...
- Carradice Bagman Expedition mount for Carradice Nelson Longflap transverse saddlebag (not shown)
- PNW Components Pine dropper post (not shown, in the mail)
- Wolf Tooth drop bar dropper remote (not shown, in the mail)
- One-up SPD pedals, red (not shown, in the mail)
Beat up dahan folder I got off craigslist for a hundred and change.
Coupled with the free bus system around where I live it makes a normal bicycle obsolete, there is no practical reason to take my non-folding far superior bicycle out if I am using it purely for transportation.
Reasons My Dahan is my dream bicycle
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I am tired just got of work, bus rolls up and I can finally get on and zone out, but the bicycle bus rack is full. It actually isn't that big of an inconvenience I can wait another 15 minutes for the next bus (what happens if by an unlikely chance that bicycle rack is full too though?) but when you are deep in that "just got out of work" energy 15 minutes can feel like an eternity. My dahan, I just shrug, fold it up and take it onto the bus as cargo.
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If someone steals my Dahan, oh no! Damn you jerk! I am crushed. It already looks stolen, it isn't worth anything really though it works perfectly fine.
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The small wheels actually make sidewalk navigation easier and lowspeed dodging of pedestrians a breeze.
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Literally anybody with a car can give me a ride, no matter the situation. This coupled with the ease of using a bus system with the Dahan fires normal bicycles in my opinion as transportation devices. If I go downtown to the bar to meet up with friends, I can take the bus or bike into town and then get a ride back with anybody who is going in the direction I live, the Dahan folds and sits in the rear seat of any car no problem.
In no respects is my Dahan an engineering marvel, the handlebar is always a bit wobbly because of the folding mechanism, the smaller wheels give much less stability though the bicycle rides confident and smooth, the chain will come off sometimes and I have to wrestle it back on, nothing on the bicycle besides the seriously solid cargo rack (kudos to Dahan on that, it is a very practical stock accessory to throw on) is anything to write home about, but that is the beauty of the bicycle and what makes it my dream bicycle.
My dream is that one day this type of bicycle (electric powered or not) becomes so popular that the used market price drops to the point that stealing them isn't even worth it because they are everywhere.
I have a similar feeling for my barely-an-ebike (250w geared folder, ~45lbs, bought on-sale). I sometimes wonder how a non-e bike would compare, it seems like it might be easier so long as I'm half-in-shape (though I don't have a lot of incentive to ride, so I don't exactly stay half-in-shape, so I'd probably need a nice stationary bike too).
Wish I could try out a minivelo, probably not much chance of that in USA particularly not for a cheap price. Maybe a folder that's better-designed than mine (D4S), Brompton is almost a dream (aside from even tinier wheels than 20") except way too expensive. Similarly, a lighter-weight frame like magnesium or titanium would be nice but probably also no.
EDIT: I forgot to say, if I didn't go with a derailleur a retro-direct drive would be neat. Maybe even cool to make a minivelo with that myself, not that I have really anything required to do so (converting it, maybe). Better if it were somewhat easy to swap gears out (like per-season sort of thing).
For me where I live while I would love an ebike, the bus system is free and is pretty frequent so I will just take the bus up the brutal hills and mostly bicycle along flat routes even though the surrounding area isn't flat. I am lazy when I bicycle even though I still obviously get exersize from it lol. Yes though, at least in my narrow usecase scenario an electric bicycle might actually take more work to use, or it might be closer than you would think at least. I am not really lifting the bicycle up too much vertical and maintaining a leisurely pace on flat ground takes almost no effort so..
I would still love an electric version though, some day!
I test rode a Hase Pino a few times. It's a sit/lie tandem where the person in the back rides and steers more or less like a normal bike and the front rider is semi-reclined over the front wheel peddling with their feet out in front of them. My wife lost a $100 bet when I convinced a disabled friend to ride with me who was afraid of bikes and they had a blast. Should have made it a $15k bet so I could actually afford to keep the thing. I occasionally daydream about riding the Pino up and down the street downtown offering rides and flirting with the ladies.
Image results for context: https://duckduckgo.com/?t=h_&q=hase+pino&ia=images&iax=images
I own a Hase Pino Tour, and it's my daily utility bike. I used to own a Bilenky Viewpoint (both semi-recumbent). I'll spare re-writing my comments; I go into greater detail here: https://lemmy.world/post/32634328/18119635
So if you're in the market for a Pino Tour, I'll make you a great deal on mine. I bought this while my partner was going through chemo, so that I could take her to doctor's appointments. I can't stand a bike that doesn't get used, so it's been pressed into service as my daily driver.
I've settled firmly into the road-mountain hybrid groove so it's really just about having it be tall enough for me to fully extend my legs on the downstroke, and not have to hunch my back to grab the handlebars.
Though, druthers, it'd be electric lime green all over.
Iβd want the absolute best two-wheeled monster truck.
β A rigid steel frame with custom geometry built to my specs
β An extra-long frame, something in the vein of the Surly Moonlander
β 24 x 6.2" Surly tires
β A mid-drive motor with an integrated gearbox
β Belt drive
β Power output slightly above the legal 250W limit to make up for the added weight
β At least a 1000Wh battery
β AWD system from Christini, with a switch to engage the front wheel
β Matte camo paintjob
250w limit...? For 6.2" tires? Yikes. Mine is 750w with 4" tires and it feels slightly underpowered with any cargo loaded up.
Honestly don't see how 250w would be worth the extra weight, cost, and hassle of an ebike for very little assistance
I consider anything over 500 watts to be getting into motorbike territory. Iβm talking about a bicycle. All I need from the motor is enough assistance to offset the weight and rolling resistance of the big wheels - and then a little extra. I still like to pedal myself. My current bike has 5.05" tires, and 250W of pedal-assist is more than enough to take me anywhere I want to go. The limiting factor isnβt power - itβs range.
I'm super interested in the Apollo Gravel bike from Priority cycles. I'm saving up and going to try and pick one up for my birthday in December.
I've had one as my main bike for over a year. I'm not sure what your needs are but here are my thoughts:
- It's generally well suited for everyday city life. I rode mine through the winter and never washed it. The belt doesnt care.
- The gear range is great unless you have steep hills.
- Weirdly, the fork doesn't have the mounting hole at the bottom for a fender, but it does have one at the top. I use their recommended fenders with the Velcro straps and they've been great.
- Be sure to practice taking the wheels off. The gear cable attaches at the back in a weird way and you have to disconnect that to take the wheel off. Make sure you know how to do it.
- The hub really doesn't want you to peddle while you shift. If you do, it will feel like you shifted just fine and then a few seconds later your drivetrain will jolt as it actually gets into where it's supposed it.
- They say you can't use a front rack but it has all the mounting points for one. I suspect this is because tightening a bolt too hard on the carbon fork crown could cause safety issues. I have a rack there anyway and it's been fine.
- The hub has a sprag clutch which means it doesn't click. It's truly silent while pedaling and coasting.
- The rear sprocket is a Gates Surefit. This requires a special tool to take on and off. I had to buy one off Italian eBay. Your bike shop almost certainly won't have one.
- The bike is pretty heavy. Not that big a deal for most things but it is what it is.
- I've changed the oil once but otherwise never messed with the drivetrain. It's very low maintenance
That looks pretty nice.
Those brake cables should be cut much closer to the caliper though, you do not want those getting caught in the rotors.
I bought an old brown steel Salsa Fargo frame for cheap on a whim to build up with other parts I had lying around. The fork I thought would work did not, so I bought an old brown steel Surly fork for cheap. 1x10 mountain drive train, Jones H-bar, rack, fenders, and 50mm semi-slick tires. It is great for riding around the neighborhood. It is great for gravel, dirt paths, and fire roads. It is great for grocery shopping. It is fun once in a while on mild mountain bike trails.
I have a nice mountain bike that I have the most emotional attachment to. If I could only have one bike, I think I would have to pick my Brompton. But somehow this became the bike I ride the most.