YikeBike spells urban freedom

• Pages: 19-21

Basic bicycle design has remained relatively un-

changed for the past 125 years. The mini-farthing,

commercialized as the YikeBike, has a radically

different riding position and steering and wheel

configuration. The result of five years of research

and development, the YikeBike is light and ex-

tremely small when folded, making it easy to carry

and store and eliminating parking problems and

the risk of theft. The mini-farthing is made from

ultra-light carbon fiber and encompasses state-

of-the-art technology, engineering and industrial

design to create a new class of bicycle, like a

mountain, road or racing bike.

Inspired by Dean Kamen’s revolutionary transport

device, the Segway (see box), Grant Ryan, inventor

of the mini-farthing and co-founder of YikeBike

which markets the device, told

WIPO Magazine

the

project’s goal “was to design something that could

become the most common transport device in

the world.” This, he said, was “so bold as to be liter-

ally crazy”, because the traditional bicycle is still the

most commonly owned form of transport in the

world, with over 120 million sold each year.

The original team of three, however, remained

undeterred, recognizing the need for an effective

urban transport alternative to the gridlock facing

city commuters around the world. “We thought if

you could take a bike and make it fundamentally

smaller so that you didn’t need to leave it outside,

and if you had something that could go as fast as

cars in a congested city – the average speed is al-

ready down to around 15 km/h – that would be a

great solution.” Mr. Ryan explained, “the great thing

about it is that you don’t have to change a city for

it to work by installing charge stations all over the

place; you can use the billion or so charge ports that

are already installed around the world, and it only

takes around 8 cents worth of electricity to charge.”

It allows riders to see and be seen, is highly portable

and can link up with any other form of transport.

YIKEBIKE SPELLS

URBAN FREEDOM

>>>

19

Amid growing concern about climate change and urban congestion, electric bicycles or e-bikes, once a

curiosity, are becoming an increasingly popular urban transport choice. In just a decade, the e-bike business

has become a US$11 billion global industry with enormous potential for further growth. While many e-bikes

are similar to a standard bicycle with pedals, a group of engineers from New Zealand have come up with a

radically different design that is turning heads and capturing the imagination of urban travelers. Featured in

TIME Magazine

as one of the world’s top inventions in 2009 and winner of countless design awards, the mini-

farthing, a zippy and versatile new urban transport solution, features in

Guinness World Records

as the most

compact electric bike in the world. The mini-farthing promises to transform the urban transport experience,

offering city dwellers a fast, safe and easy way to navigate the urban environment.

Light, easy to fold and highly portable, the YikeBike™ can link up with any other form of urban transport.

Photos: © 2011 YikeBike Limited