Case Study: Helix Bikes achieves lighter, more innovative folding bike prototypes with Protolabs

Toronto bike maker lightens load of fold-up bike concept with titanium prototypes

Helix Bikes, a Toronto-based startup, set out to reinvent the folding bike with a design that would be lightweight, durable, safe, and capable of folding into a truly compact form. To validate early concepts and overcome manufacturing hurdles—especially with titanium parts and no in-house production equipment yet—the company turned to Protolabs for fast prototyping and CNC machined parts.

Protolabs helped Helix Bikes move from CAD model to riding prototype in about three weeks, using machined titanium as well as some aluminum and plastic components for parts like the fork crown, rear dropouts, locking mechanism, and stem hinge. Protolabs’ quick quoting, design analysis, and material flexibility helped Helix validate manufacturability, reduce guesswork, and accelerate iteration; Helix said this saved them months and led to a more polished product, supporting a Kickstarter campaign that raised over $2.2 million from 1,069 backers.

Helix Bikes

Peter Boutakis

Founder