YikeBike

http://www.yikebike.com

by vnuk • 17 years ago

60 59 17 years ago

yikebike.com

vnuk• 17 years ago

I just hope that the price will be much more reasonable when it goes into production...

tel• 17 years ago

I would not want to go down a hill on that thing.

Keyframe2• 17 years ago

Or uphill.

bigsassy2• 17 years ago

According to their FAQ: Speed limited so that it can never go faster than 20 km/h even down hill.

davidw3• 17 years ago

Sat that high up with not much in front of you... it looks like it might have some stability issues.

stcredzero• 17 years ago

Take a penny-farthing, shrink it down, put a motor in it.

JeremyChase• 17 years ago

Yes, even the guy in the video looked wobbly.

ntoshev• 17 years ago

This shouldn't be compared to a regular bike but to Segway. A popular electic bicycle would also be cheap and allow pedalling.

bmj• 17 years ago

A popular electic bicycle would also be cheap and allow pedalling.

Absolutely. If I wanted an electric bike, I'd go with something more sensible, like this:

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/10/schwinns_new_line_of...

robfitz• 17 years ago

The perks of the Yike (I feel funny just saying that) are the weight (20lb vs 45lb) and size. I see lots of business people here (London) on those little fold up city bikes. The Yike seems more targetted at those customers than the traditional cyclist.

sharjeel• 17 years ago

and I believe its going to have the same problem: http://paulgraham.com/segway.html

arfrank• 17 years ago

It looks like it will have pretty much exactly the same problems the segway has. It is too expensive (~3,500 - 3,900 Euros). The range is too short (9-10km) and it doesn't go fast enough(edit: When finished won't go fast enough). It reminds me exactly of how the Segway origionally wanted to be, long distance and high speed, but regulations and batteries kept it from doing so. If they are going for a small niche then they might be fine, but if they are trying to mass market it, then it seems like it'll be another pipe dream. That's not to say I don't think its cool, just not at all practical.

dandrews• 17 years ago

"Same problems as the segway has" ... let's see:

"too expensive" - check! (Got me there.)

"range is too short" - I'd like more range, but after 20 miles your feet have had enough of the Segway. Miles of sidewalk cracks beat you up and you need a rest. Really, I'd settle for a faster recharge rate.

"doesn't go fast enough" - you want to fall faster than 12 mph?

"regulations" - in 43 of the United States, Segways are allowed on sidewalks, bike paths, and roads. See http://www.segway.com/support/regulatory.php

"batteries" - the biggest problem with the Segway batteries is that they're considered hazmat and are hard to ship. The FAA takes a dim view of "lithium ion" anything, even though Valence's lithium iron magnesium phosphate cathodes make them safe to transport. That's really less a problem with the technology, and more of an opportunity to educate the regulators.

maxklein2• 17 years ago

Yikes, that thing will not sell. The core demographic that would use it are the same people that want to look the coolest. And I can't imagine anyone cool sitting on something as dorky.

Another good idea killed by poor design.

oliveoil• 17 years ago

But the girl with the ticket in the ad seemed to be very charmed by the brave young man on a yike. ;-)

xinsight• 17 years ago

Sadly, I'm sure they spent a lot of time on the design. I think they're just solving the wrong problem. The lack of storage space limits this to joy riding. You can't buy groceries, commute with a laptop, etc. etc.

jamesbritt2• 17 years ago

Why wouldn't a backpack work for carrying things?

carbon8• 17 years ago

" The lack of storage space limits this to joy riding. You can't buy groceries, commute with a laptop"

People typically bike with laptops in backpacks and messenger bags.

gojomo• 17 years ago

I think that's exactly what their video is trying to address: making it seem cool before an initial superficial reaction to the unfamiliar seating makes it seem dorky. It's a steep task, though.

I think the Segway faced the same issue -- and an even simpler orientation for such personal devices, seated in a forward direction, is terminally uncool because it's so closely associated with the elderly and others with mobility problems.

I wonder, then, if units which are different for the sake of looking trendy could take off. In particular, whatever the safety issues, what if a personal motorized device expected the rider to face their body perpendicular to the direction of travel, like a skateboarder (able/cool), surfer (able/cool) or snowboarder (able/cool).

Would the rider then be sending a signal of 'fitness' even with their motor-assisted personal-travel, and could that then be the margin of approval that drives adoption where other units have failed?

thorax• 17 years ago

Would you ride it if it could hover?

maxklein2• 17 years ago

I'd ride anything if it could hover, even a guy.

DanielStraight• 17 years ago

It doesn't look stable or durable.

TravisLS• 17 years ago

I'm going to go ahead and predict this same problem: http://paulgraham.com/segway.html

wouterinho• 17 years ago

First thing that came to my mind as well. I like the foldable functionality though. In Amsterdam there are a lot of people using folding bikes. They commute to Amsterdam by train taking their bikes and then use the bike to get into the city. Works pretty well, but it still looks kind of silly.

brandnewlow• 17 years ago

Every person in that video seems to be thinking "Ha ha. Look at that moron!" though I'm sure that's not what I'm supposed to be thinking.

dc2k08• 17 years ago

Yikebike: How much: €3700~ ($5400) | How far: 9-10 km (5.5 miles) | How fast: 20 kph (12 mph)

For comparison...

Segway: How much: $2-7000? | How far: 38km (24 miles) | How fast: 20 kph (12 mph)

davidw3• 17 years ago

Another comparison:

My shitty commuting bike: 50€ | Range: unlimited | Top speed: a bit more than 30kph depending on how fast you can spin

ned• 17 years ago

I agree. But to be fair, you should compare it to a Brompton folding bike (that have an excellent design btw, the parts fit perfectly). http://www.brompton.co.uk/

cwp• 17 years ago

I'm sure it compares favourably to the Yike, but the range on your commuting bike is not unlimited. How far can you ride before you have to stop and eat?

brandnewly2• 17 years ago

I can't imagine trying to bail out if you got into trouble with the handlebars around your legs like that.

bigsassy2• 17 years ago

From the FAQ (I swear I'm not from YikeBike PR): It is likely that you will jump off the front of a YikeBike in an emergency braking situation - this is very easy as there are no handle bars in the way.

Tichy• 17 years ago

At 20km/h it might not be so easy after all.

chaosprophet• 17 years ago

I think they actually meant to say "It is likely that you will be thrown off the front of a YikeBike in an emergency braking situation - this is very easy as there are no handle bars in the way." :P

I really don't see how jumping off front of the bike is intuitive though. I mean, it's like trying to jump forward from the chair your sitting in. This in itself is an unnatural action, and to top it off the bike is gonna be moving forward when you jump forward off it. I foresee some severely bruised backsides.

hughprime• 17 years ago

In an emergency, the thing in front is generally what I'm trying to avoid.

brandnewly2• 17 years ago

I get what they're saying about not flipping over the bars, but personally, I'd rather be able to bail out to the back or sides. The way they are describing basically just throws you into an object, whereas with the back/sides you're able to avoid objects and roll on the ground. If you're going fast enough to flip over the handle bars: (a) you're probably not going to be able to brake in time anyway, and (b) it's probably not much better to just get launched straight into whatever you're trying to avoid.

dpcan• 17 years ago

This bike and segway are marketing to the WRONG demographic.

City folk are too cool and care too much about their image to ride these things.

Come out here to the small towns of the mid/northwest where we drive our cars 10 blocks to get to work. Or the grocery store is 3 blocks away, so is the movie store, and Starbucks.

They are still too expensive, but every house on my block could benefit from one of these, and if we saw each other riding it down the street, we'd all be jealous of one another and want one.

vaksel• 17 years ago

small towns don't have proper sidewalks for things like that, and having them on the road is a recipe for road rage.

modoc2• 17 years ago

"How heavy is a YikeBike? The YikeBike weighs less than 10kg with a full battery and air in the tyres"

And how much does it weigh with a drained battery and flat tires? :)

bendotc• 17 years ago

Depends on the pressure when the tires are fully inflated.

herdrick• 17 years ago

Less, actually.

modoc2• 17 years ago

Measurably less than "less than 10kg"? Yes, I understand that air at 30psi weighs more. Let's assume that the tires hold 3 liters of air (standard for a mt. bike, the yike looks like it holds a lot less actually). The 30psi will add 3.75 grams. Less than two pennies.

Keyframe2• 17 years ago

Great, but I would not like to be seen on one.

rfreytag• 17 years ago

I have ridden recumbent bikes (e.g. http://www.recumbents.com/home.asp) for decades. Mine is very much like the Yike: underseat steering, approximately 20" wheels, short wheelbase, and I sit almost directly over the front wheel (like the Yike) except I have to pedal. Here is what I know:

1. sitting on a wheel means every time you hit a pothole you say yike as your spine is pounded.

2. you MUST keep both hands on the wheel at all times because it is dynamically unstable (very different from an 'upright' bike which will steer hands-free).

3. forward center of gravity will dump you on your face under heavy braking (or for the Yike - the slightest braking).

4. small wheels feel every bump in the pavement (which has a fractal dimension explored in greater detail as the wheel gets smaller).

5. You can ride a recumbent for hundreds of miles in a day and still be very comfortable (I have) but it requires a chair-type seat; preferably with some recline to it. That seat looks painful.

6. A short wheelbase like my bike or the Yike allows you to turn on a dime - but it takes practice as both wheels do not have the same weight and a skid is unrecoverable. Do not attempt this on ice, snow, wet leaves, etc..

Poiesis2• 17 years ago

Kudos to all who are trying to make bike-like commuting practical. I'm looking forward to practical ideas.

Poiesis2• 17 years ago

...and let me just say I'm still looking.

Gibbon• 17 years ago

This is what I said the first time YikeBike was posted on HN:

"tiny wheelbase + forward centre of gravity + unexpected obstacle = faceplant."

joeld42• 17 years ago

dammit when is apple going to release one of these so people think it's cool?

onoj• 17 years ago

It is a sad sad state of product design that the people who spent so much time designing and making it never rode a bicycle.

If they had they would know that even getting on this contraption would scare the daylights out of a seasoned cyclist(like me).

Not to mention that it is everyone's dream to look like an idiot at speed.

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