Hummingbird has launched a new folding e-bike made out of flax fibre - a sustainable plant-based material.  

The brand claims it’s as strong and as lightweight as its carbon fibre predecessor, resulting in the world’s lightest bike of its kind at 10 kg. 

There's also a lighter non-powered version, which weighs 6.9 kg. 

The frame was developed following a collaboration with motorsport company, Pro Drive.

On the limited environmental impact the new material has during production, Prodrive’s Director of Business Development Matt Bradney said: “Most composites are still made with synthetic fibres, which are very energy-consuming to produce. 

“But natural fibres are grown, not made, and the energy requirements to turn the grown fibres into a useful reinforcement for composites can be considerably less than that required to produce a synthetic fibre.” 

Taking up to three hours for a full charge, the plant-based frame houses a 15Wh battery which can provide up to 31 miles of electric-assisted range. 

The Hummingbird Flax also comes with aluminium alloys which are surrounded by 16-inch wheels, while the crankset and brake callipers are provided by cycling components specialist Shimano.

It is now available to order, priced from £4,995.