Possibly slightly less cool when you’re riding it…
By Gavin Conway on February 21, 2012 5:32 PM
Electric bicycles have been around for ages – they range from conventional pedal bikes with battery-assist up to groovy looking, edgy urban scooters. But trust us, the YikeBike, which emerged onto the scene back in 2009, is probably the most unique.
It’s called YikeBike because the first reaction people have to it, say its makers, is to bleat out a surprised “Yikes!” We don’t blame them – the bike looks a bit like a Penny Farthing cycle from the 1800s, with a big wheel up front and a small one behind. But conventional, it ain’t.
Top speed is about 14mph and the lowest range is six miles, but with additional batteries it can be ridden a full 18 miles – the idea is that you fold it up, toss it in the boot, or hop on public transit with and then use it to travel the last leg of your journey.
We were a bit sceptical until we watched it being folded up – it really is a genius piece of engineering. Major league ‘want’.