Folded, the YikeBike only takes 6 x 23.6 x 23.6 inches (150 x 600 x 600 millimetres) and weighs 10kg, so it can be easily carried around. And while its pneumatic wheels may follow an old high wheeler configuration, according to the manufacturer, this thing is designed to be easy to manoeuvre, and it’s equipped with electronic brakes with built-in anti-skid system.
Would this thing succeed where the Segway failed? Sadly, at $US4900, I have a very bad feeling about it. [YikeBike]
Colin Christensen
June 1, 2010 at 1:18 AM
Immediately I saw this I thought “penny farthing”.Unfortuntely there is little about it’s fundamental geometry that will make it any less hazardous than the PF. Essentially the rider sits too far forward and, at minimal speed changes such as hitting a bump or a depression will launch the rider forward and off at 25kph. Often. It even has the Whatton bars (behind the bum) that attempted to make the PF a little safer. And straight line stability on the video looks shocking.
Report PermalinkI’d love to see something work in it’s intended niche, but I fear that this is not the one that will.