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New Zealander Invents Segway Alternative
RainbowBrite writes "The YikeBike is the invention of a New Zealander aiming to alleviate city congestion. 'It might look like a collision between a praying mantis and a child's scooter, but it's the result of five years of work to reinvent the wheel, with one important addition: an electric motor. It's a bicycle, but not as we have come to know it. For a start, you sit upright and steer with your hands at your side.'" The YikeBike weighs in at a measly 22 lbs but has a hefty price tag of almost $5,000 US (£3,000). The battery's expected lifespan is only 1,000 charges, but the device has a projected range of around six miles.
Seriously, this looks like it could trip on your average pothole, curb cut, or simply breaking hard.
Yes, your feet are fairly forward where you might be able to catch your self, but I see a lot of separated shoulders in this this bikes portfolio.
Sig Battery depleted. Reverting to safe mode.
What happens if you brake going down a steep hill?
It's more expensive than the Segway (which runs $3-5K last I checked), has 1/4 the range, and while it weighs less, this only partially offsets the more limited movement (it can't rise over a curb without aid, a Segway can). Unless your balance is atrocious, you can use a Segway (my 80 year old grandfather bought one as his knees declined). Why would I buy this?
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... is to just use your damn bicycle. Why pay $5,000 for that thing? Why pay money for a segway? Buy a bike for a couple hundred bucks or cheaper. It's better for the environment and costs less. I don't see the need for this fancy motor scooter crap.
Wow, that's a really negative way to put it. If someone I know starts biking a lot, I think, "wow, good to see you making an effort to improve your health" along with, "thank you for reducing your carbon footprint", not, "you're a drunk loser!"
About the most negative thing I think of when I learn someone I know is switching to biking is, "Gee, watch out for all the idiots in cars who are trying to kill you!"
I find this personal mobility devices pathetic for able bodied people.
Why aren't we satisfied with walking anymore? I will be walking 30 minutes twice a day from September.
The only issue is boredom and wasting of time. I will counter this with podcasts.
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This thing does one thing the Segway can't: it folds into a shoulder bag and weighs 22lbs. That means I can bring it upstairs into the office once I get to work, or hell even bring it onboard a commercial airliner as unchecked baggage.
In my opinion, if the longevity could be extended to somewhere north of 2500 charges it'd be a pretty compelling gadget even at $5,000.
If libertarians are so opposed to effective government, why don't they all move to Somalia?
Agreed; this is ridiculous. Less range than your average e-bike and more expensive than your average e-bike. Who would buy this? Heck, you could buy a 60-70mph, 35-60 mile range electric motorcycle for just a few $k more.
Get out, or I'll have vice-president Agnew's headless body throw you out!"
You obviously don't live in "the South". Down here, they switch to riding lawn mowers or golf carts. Seriously.
I can buy a mopehead ("scooter") for less than £1000 which can go over 30 MpH. Why would I buy this? You cannot use it on roads OR on footpaths in a lot of locations and it is too small to really work as a carry-around and too big to park up.
So given that the 6000 miles figure is obviously going to be optimistic, You're basically paying 1$ per mile to look like an idiot and probably be even more vulnerable to getting in an accident than a bicyclist. No, I don't think I'll be getting one of these.
Unpleasantries.
If you're in the US, you must live on one of the coasts.
In the midwest, bicycles are generally seen as being for children.
Drunks, though, usually take the bus or have a spouse drive them around. Or, probably more frequently, just drive without a license.
The whole time I lived in Missouri, I never saw anyone else commute to work via bicycle.
If the masses can keep you down, you're not the Ubermensch.
Stop trying to one-up the bicycle. It works, it is cheap and it is time tested.
It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire speed, the teeth acquire stains. The stains become a warning
Yet another article where a bunch of know-it-alls put down an invention for not being the status quo. "It's too expensive. It looks dangerous. Ride a bicycle. Ride an electric bike. Ride a motorcycle."
Go back to your basements and play WoW. The creative people are busy creating.
There are 0x40000000 types of people: those who understand 32-bit IEEE 754 floating point, and those who don't.
You're not ostracized because they think you got a DUI. You just smell bad because you biked 10 miles to work and haven't had a chance to shower.
Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
You misunderstand.
Creativity is good. In developing the next something, there should be a massive burst of creativity with ideas flowing all over the place. Then there's this point where you start winnowing. This one's a cool idea, but nobody wants it. That one's a great idea and people want it, but it will cost us more to make than anyone will pay. Etc.
It's a hard lesson, but perhaps the value which should come from bashing unsuccessful products is the warning to the next inventor. It's not enough that you think it's cool. It has to fill a need in the marketplace. If it doesn't, it won't be commercially successful.
Here's a video of a woman riding one with 2 little kids and 4 sacks of groceries.
Sure, it's big, it's bulky, but for the most part, you will no longer need a car.
Shenanigans! I love seeing things like this. That video, and even suggesting it, means you live somewhere very flat. Where I am, I can guarantee you that Mum alone would not even make it to the shops or back on a bicycle at all. It's just too hilly and steep.
Bicycles are not an alternative to the modern car. Horses are better than bikes. Now, on the other hand, the powered ones have something going for them.
ws
PS: Yes I do ride around the area, but only for fitness (or lack of) purposes. There's no way I could carry kids or groceries.