By Jason McDowell Creative Director Published Jun 29, 2018 at 4:56 PM Photography: Jason McDowell

Summerfest is the world's largest music festival, and while music (and the refreshments and people-watching-watching that come with it) may be the primary focus of the days, there are also plenty of other oddities with which to entertain yourself. 

Take, for instance, these folding bikes, which are being made available by Taiwan External Trade Development Council, who, according to its press release, have come to Summerfest to showcase its "Taiwan Excellence Awards and how Taiwan can work better together with Milwaukee and Wisconsin companies."

Unlike a traditional bike, a folding bike frame is divided up into parts that can be unlocked and folded upon itself to take up less space. This makes it easier to travel with and store in small places.

These folding bikes come in two sizes. There is the Birdy with more of a traditional style but smaller wheels. This one is easy to hop on and ride.

Birdy folding bike

The other is a much more rare A-frame style bike, which has a very short wheelbase and a different center of gravity: lean back too far and you might find yourself on the ground, upside down, with the bike riding you.

Birdy folding bike

But the benefit of the A-frame is that it folds up into a much tighter package, taking up even less space. Check out this demonstration below.

So stop by the Taiwan Excellence Booth, take these bikes for a spin and then race your friends … to see who can fold up their bike the fastest.

Jason McDowell Creative Director

Jason McDowell grew up in central Iowa and moved to Milwaukee in 2000 to attend the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design.

In 2006 he began working with OnMilwaukee as an advertising designer, but has since taken on a variety of rolls as the Creative Director, tackling all kinds of design problems, from digital to print, advertising to branding, icons to programming.

In 2016 he picked up the 414 Digital Star of the Year award.

Most other times he can be found racing bicycles, playing board games, or petting dogs.