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.

Comments

The real alternative ...

[neonprimetime]

... 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.

Re:Really good ideas...

[PeterM from Berkeley]

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!"

yeah yeah.

[Colin Smith]

http://www.bicycle-power.com/electric.html

Hey. I've had a great idea. People could propel these things using their legs, getting fit at the same time. So you would be moving to your destination *and* saving money in gym fees *and* saving all that waste time at the gym too.

Think I'll patent it.

"A method for increasing human fitness and moving towards a destination at the same time."

 

Personal mobility

[improfane]

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.

Re:Personal mobility

[Tenebrious1]

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.

So... you don't actually do this *walking* stuff now? You don't actually know what it's like walking to work in a suit, when it's 95 degrees with 95% humidity? You don't know what it's like meeting with clients smelling like you just walked out of the gym? You don't know what it's like having to spend $100 a week on drycleaning? And you're calling people pathetic.... that's funny.

The device would have been great for my last office. It was a 4 mile ride to the train station, the commute into the city, and then a 2 mile subway ride. Would have been fine by bike, but you couldn't take the bike on the train, so you would have needed two bikes. Which I wouldn't have minded either, one bike from home to station, one in the city from station to work, but there wasn't any place to lock up a bike at work and you weren't allowed to bring the bike into the office. The YikeBike could be stowed in a garment bag, that would have been perfect.

Re:Sobriety, please

[oldspewey]

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.

Re:Can you spell Face Plant?

[Rei]

There is a the pennyfarthing was replaced by the safety bicycle [wikipedia.org].

Huh. So... can I bike if I want to? Can I leave my friends behind?

Leave it to a Kiwi

[Alzheimers]

Leave it to a Kiwi to put training wheels on a unicycle.

Re:Can you spell Face Plant?

[fridaynightsmoke]

Well, your friends don't bike, and if they dont bike, then they're no friends of mine.

Re:Can you spell Face Plant?

[Arthur Grumbine]

You're really over exposed as well, i fail to see how this is any better than an electric bike in any way!

That's because the greatest difference between this and a segway or bicycle was sneakily hidden in the article (and in the pics of the article):

Crucially, you can fold it into a bag and carry the whole 22lb package anywhere

It actually looks pretty damn useful (large backpack size when in bag) for being able to carry it into buildings, offices, subways, taxis, other-areas-you-can't-easily-take-an-electric-bike.
I could totally deal with the range and potential stability dangers, unfortunately that price is a deal breaker.

Slashdot: Negativity From Nerds.

[mypalmike]

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.

Re:Really good ideas...

[Hatta]

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.