His goal: to come up with something that would be suitable for travel while providing ease of mobility and compactness.

“I find bicycles fascinating. It started out as a fun project, something I wanted to do for myself,” said the founder of Swofinty Interior Designer.

Being a collector of vintage and folding bicycles allowed him to better understand the ins and outs, and he combined this with his knowledge of architectural history and design movements.

In particular, he spent a considerable amount of time conceiving the folding mechanisms of what would become his “Fin” folding bike.

To his surprise, “Fin” ended up winning the Silver A’ Design Award in Italy in 2019, and was also shortlisted for Singapore’s RedDot Concept Design Award.

The 45-year-old, who is based in Selangor, told FMT that this recognition “inspired me to do more”.

Given that bicycle manufacturing in Malaysia is limited, Yik had planned to explore potential collaborations abroad – but the pandemic meant all plans had to be put on hold.

Still, he used that time to design his namesake: a mini velo, or adult bicycle with smaller wheels. Besides being lightweight and built for speed, the “Swofinty” has a sleek space frame arc inspired by the design of Elon Musk’s cosmodrome.

The bike is built from stainless steel and comes with front and back suspension for added comfort. The smaller wheels reduce its overall length, allowing it to be more compact and, therefore, easier for travel.

All this hard work paid off early last month when he bagged Silver in the United States’ Muse Design Awards for transportation design. This is no small feat considering Yik does not come from a bicycle-design background – proving, as he says, that “nothing is truly impossible”.

He is currently looking for potential bicycle manufacturers to partner with, with the aim of materialising his designs globally.

Coming up with the “Swofinty” was a challenge as he wanted to create something “functional yet artistic at the same time”, he revealed.

“I hope [my achievement] will help create more local bicycle designers as well as manufacturers,” said Yik, who added that he wants to continue to be inspired, as well as find ways to give back to the younger generation through teaching or design critique.

Asked on his thoughts of cycling in Malaysia, he shared that although the scene is vibrant with many cyclists from all walks of life, infrastructural improvement is needed as most of the roads here are not bicycle-friendly.

“There also needs to be more education to foster mutual respect among all road users,” he said.

For more information on his design work, check out Yik’s website as well as Facebook and Instagram accounts.