The Lunartic hubless bicycle is surely a head-turner, but unlike most hubless bikes its looks and hubless-ness are for functionality, not pure design masturbation. Designed by Loughborough University student Luke Douglas for his final year project, the aim of the Lunartic is to use a hubless wheel to create a more compact urban bicycle, with all the benefits of a large wheel and belt drive. When used purely for aesthetic purposes, the disadvantage of the extra cost of going hubless outweighs the visual gain — but Lunartic uses the hubless structure to house the working parts, reducing the wheel base without sacrificing conventional riding geometry like most folding bikes. Plus its toothed belt drives are clean and maintenance-free.

A gallery of the Lunartic hubless bike and its early prototype, plus a video of the prototype in action…