Patent ID: 8646801

Claim:
A folding vehicle with an enclosed, front-wheel shaft-drive, comprising: a shared rotational space including (i) a portion of a drive assembly and (ii) a portion of a steering assembly; and, a folding chassis including (iii) a rotatably-lockable front strut supporting a front wheel assembly having a front wheel, and (iv) a rotatably-lockable rear strut supporting a rear wheel assembly having a rear wheel; wherein, the drive assembly including a pair of pedals attached to a pair of crankarms, the pair of crankarms attached to a crankshaft, the crankshaft having a crank axis that rotates under a pedal power in a fixed position in the chassis, the crankshaft in an operable communication with a drive member, the drive member in an operable communication with the front wheel, the drive assembly transferring the pedal power from the crankshaft to drive the front wheel; and, the steering assembly including the front strut in an operable communication with the front wheel assembly, a steering axle in an operable communication with the front strut, and a steering member in an operable communication with the steering axle; wherein, the front strut has a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end of the front strut attaching to the chassis at a rotatably-lockable front strut pivot; the rear strut has a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end of the rear strut attaching to the chassis at a rotatably-lockable rear strut pivot; the shared rotational space creates a compact, combination drive-and-steering unit for the pedal-powered vehicle; and, the releasably-lockable front strut and the releasably-lockable rear strut are configured to fold into a complementary configuration with the remainder of the folding chassis in a collapsed state.