(Picture courtesy of PedalPub)
Bikes in Cleantechnica!?
Of course! Isn’t the goal to consume less non-renewable energy? Just because we’re doing so with the good old bike doesn’t mean it is not worthy of the technology title–especially with the advances in bike technology highlighted below. And although I’ve long agreed with this quote from author Elizabeth West, “Progress should have stopped when man invented the bicycle,” I am glad that–at least in the bike world–it did not.
After the break, I’ve highlighted my four favorite advances in the bike world. For the record, it pained me not to include Fat Tire–but that’s more of an advancement in the beer world (as well as an advancement in my world).
Beer
The Pedal Pub, originating in The Netherlands, has made the long overseas trip to the states–the Twin Cities of Minnesota to be exact. Maxing out at 5mph and seating 16 people, the PedalPub is a human powered travelling pub! The sixteen passengers sit belly-to-the-bar (ten pedal and six get a free ride) while the driver, a PedalPub employee, does the steering. This ensures that after a long pub crawl (or ride) the PedalPub is still on the right side of the road. The only downfall is that you can’t have a beer while pedaling in a public area. You can however, enjoy a beer while parked on the premises of a drinking establishment. And the PedalPub makes sure to stop off at a number of establishments along its various routes. Check out this video of the PedalPub in action, courtesy of YouTube.
Water
Winner of Specialized and Google’s “Innovate or Die” competition, the Aquaduct is an easy way to transport potable water from it’s source to your home: but this bi-cycle has bi-features! As the water is being transported home it is also being filtered when it passes from the storage tank to the clean tank via perastaltic pump. As they say on their informative, short video on YouTube: “the Aquaduct will allow families in developing countries to have daily access to clean water all by harnessing the energy of pedal power.”
Big
The only carbon spewed from this SUV of bikes is that which comes outta yer mouth. The Xtracycle is an extra long bicycle great for transporting brats, brides, bags, and boards, as well as a wide array of things that start with other letters. Their website offers the potential customer the option to turn their existing bike into an Xtracycle or buy an SUB of their own. They also sell some great accessories and have an informative FAQ page–Check ’em out!
Small
Last, and definitely least in the world of biketechnica, is the Suitcase Bicycle. If the movie Transformers was less about war and more about peace, this puppy would’ve been the star. I shall dub it the Optimus Prime of the bike world! The name and this animated video on YouTube pretty much say it all. Enjoy!
And happy cycling!!!
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