TAKE 5 : FOR CHEAP WHEELS, WITH LITTLE SPACE, WELCOME TO THE FOLD.

Good news for the space-challenged: a collapsible bike that quickly folds into something that resembles a wheeled walking stick.

It's called a Strida, and its manufacturers hope this strange contraption will be a hit on college campuses, in corporate office parks, at marinas - and all those other places where people have only a little space and a need for cheap wheels.

The aluminum A-frame bike, designed in the space-starved United Kingdom in 1987 and now available in the United States, is designed to fold up into a 22-pound bundle in three steps. At $499, it costs a little more than the average bike, but it won't rust, the Kevlar chain doesn't need grease, and it requires no maintenance.

But it sure does look awkward. The advantage over standard bikes: It's easy to lock up, and it can be stowed in a trunk, on a boat, in a closet or the corner of a college classroom, which makes it ``virtually theft-proof,'' according to the manufacturer.

In fact, they're so sure of their product, they're offering a 60-day test ride. Don't like it? Fold it up and send it back. College linebackers need not apply. The frame is rated to only 215 pounds.

For more information or to order one, visit the Web site www.strida.com or call [phone].

- Phil Davis 

Light up your life - mesmerizingly

It blows. It glows. It's a treat for your nose.

California-based America Invents has come up with a way to turn a compact fan into a lamp and an aromatherapy diffuser. They call it the Chute Lamp.

Some minor assembly is required, but once you turn it on and let it blow, the billowing silk chute can be mesmerizing to watch.

Put a few drops of scented oil in the diffuser pad at the center of the grille and you'll add a pleasant aroma to the room, too. Swap the 40-watt mini-reflector bulb it comes with for a 15-watt refrigerator bulb and you get an instant night-light effect.

It surely will be a conversation piece wherever you put it.

The Chute Lamp ($75-$85) comes with a standard white silk ``chute,'' but you can replace it with one of seven solid-colored chutes or a cloudlike blue-and-white chute. Look for it at the Ultra-Lounge at Fashion Square Sherman Oaks.

- Betty Kwong

For novelty, this is it, by a whisker

At first, a book on shaving seems pretty weird. But as author Wallace G. Pinfold points out, the average American man spends roughly 3,000 hours of his life shaving, so maybe we should start paying attention.

In ``A Closer Shave'' (Artisan; $16.95), Pinfold has combed through volumes of the art of growing and removing hair and produced 159 pages of how-to advice, shaving history, ``heroes of hairiness'' and bizarre trivia. For example:

Roman Emperor Hadrian revived the fashion of beards, apparently to hide battle scars on his face and a large wart on his chin.

President Ulysses S. Grant had the ``hairiest (presidential) cabinet in history.'' Obscure President Chester A. Arthur's moustache and lengthy side whiskers make him a shoo-in as president with the ``bushiest'' facial hair.

Early in his career, director Martin Scorsese made a short film called ``The Big Shave,'' in which a man shaves himself again and again until he cuts his own throat.

Sorry, ladies, this is all he-man stuff. There are no stats on how many hours women spend shaving their legs, and not even a mention of a bearded lady.

Pinfold has penned a clever book, but the price stings like razor burn. Still, if you're really into facial hair, ``A Closer Shave'' might make a decent addition to your coffee table book collection.

- Phil Davis

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4 Photos

Photo: (1--Color) no caption (Strida bike)

(2--Color) no caption (Chute lamp)

(3--4--Color) no caption (Book cover - A Closer Shave, Shaver)