I Yike It
September 4th 2009 08:26
Who needs weight loss supplements? Pretty soon you'll be able to leave the car at home, park the bike in the garage amongst all the other junk, put your Yike Bike under your arm, and choose either to walk or bike as you please.
No more hauling a great lumpy ten-speed around (and possibly having the wheels pinched). The Yike Bike is like a mini-penny-farthing: not so tall, and certainly far more space saving. And it folds up.
Two New Zealanders - Grant Ryan, a Southlander, and Peter Higgins - developed the bike in the UK, and displayed it at the Eurobike Trade Fair in Germany. The bike, which weighs less than 10kg with a full battery and air in the tyres, will be assembled in New Zealand, with parts sourced from around the world, including Japan, the United States, England, Germany, France and China.
You can see the Yike Bike in action in a video on the bike website. Looks like a heap of fun to deal with, although the lack of handlebars might be a bit of a concern. Instead of traditional front bars, you hold onto a bar on either side of the seat. How that would go for back strain, I'd be interested to know.
Well, they tell us on the website, under the FAQs: With a bicycle you stretch forward to reach the handlebars – there is nothing inherently natural about that, it is just what you are used to. The upright position on a YikeBike is remarkably comfortable and safer too because it is easier to both see and be seen. At a top speed of 20 kph you are never going fast enough for wind resistance to be an issue (and the electric motor is doing the hard work anyway).
Notice that the top speed is 20 kph - even going downhill. This isn't a speed machine (in fact I'm sure more cyclists get killed speeding downhill than any other way) but it gets you there - hopefully in one piece.
Two New Zealanders - Grant Ryan, a Southlander, and Peter Higgins - developed the bike in the UK, and displayed it at the Eurobike Trade Fair in Germany. The bike, which weighs less than 10kg with a full battery and air in the tyres, will be assembled in New Zealand, with parts sourced from around the world, including Japan, the United States, England, Germany, France and China.
You can see the Yike Bike in action in a video on the bike website. Looks like a heap of fun to deal with, although the lack of handlebars might be a bit of a concern. Instead of traditional front bars, you hold onto a bar on either side of the seat. How that would go for back strain, I'd be interested to know.
Well, they tell us on the website, under the FAQs: With a bicycle you stretch forward to reach the handlebars – there is nothing inherently natural about that, it is just what you are used to. The upright position on a YikeBike is remarkably comfortable and safer too because it is easier to both see and be seen. At a top speed of 20 kph you are never going fast enough for wind resistance to be an issue (and the electric motor is doing the hard work anyway).
Notice that the top speed is 20 kph - even going downhill. This isn't a speed machine (in fact I'm sure more cyclists get killed speeding downhill than any other way) but it gets you there - hopefully in one piece.
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