Wednesday, September 2, 2009

YikeBike: Foldable, Carbon Fiber Bike Is Sleek, Useful 21st Century High Wheeler

By Jesus Diaz, 9:40 AM on Wed Sep 2 2009, 20,280 views (Edit, to draft, Slurp)

This weird thing is a 1.2kW electric motor powered, carbon fiber foldable bike called the YikeBike. It's real, unfolds in 15 seconds, and aims to solve the eternal problem of urban mobility, and probably become Woz's favorite new toy.

Folded, the YikeBike only takes 6 x 23.6 x 23.6 inches (150 x 600 x 600 millimeters) and weighs 22 pounds (10 kilograms), 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 maneuver, and it's equipped with electronic brakes with built-in anti-skid system.

Would this thing succeed where the Segway failed? Sadly, at $4900, I have a very bad feeling about it. [YikeBike via

Posted via web from superbalanced