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About Grant Ryan
YikeBike founder, Grant is an addicted inventor and entrepreneur. He has founded a number of companies including GlobalBrain.net (sold to NBCi), RealContacts, SLI Systems (profitable fast growing SaaS search company) and Eurekster (North America Red Herring 100 in 2006). He is on the board of Canterbury Development Corporation and has also served on the board of the New Zealand Government's $140 million Venture Investment Fund and $430 million Foundation for Research Science and Technology. Grant has a degree in Mechanical Engineering and a PhD in Ecological Economics from the University of Canterbury. The YikeBike perfectly combines his love of mechanics, environment and innovation.
YikeBike testing video
Posted on October 6th, 2009 by thebiggarlic
Below is the latest video of us testing the YikeBike. We had a lot of fun trying to find things the YikeBike couldn't do but it kept impressing us - it really is a very cool little machine to ride. Most of the video shows situations you are unlikely to encounter in a city. We do not recommend doing these things but it does show you what the YikeBike is capable of. In this video you can see how well the YikeBike handles pot holes, curbs, hills, braking, water, turning circles, acceleration, manoeuvrability, etc
In several places we also have a bicycle in the clip and that is not necessarily to show it is better than a normal bike but just gives some reference to a vehicle that we are all familiar with.
Below are a few reasons we have managed to get such a safe stable vehicle:
-We have a larger front wheel than the majority of folding bikes and this allows the YikeBike to handle bumps and pot holes easily
-Our brakes are the first in the world on a bike to be electronic anti-skid (ABS on a bike!)
-The wheel base is smaller than a normal bike but not that much smaller (70%) and it feels remarkably balanced
-The speed it limited to 20km/h so it is never faster than you can run
-If things do get unstable you just jump of the front - no handle bars to trip you up and catapult your head forward
We have had a few questions about the meaning of a "cattle stop" in the first part of the video. Apparently it is a New Zealand only term so apologies for that. Sometimes also referred to as a Cattle Grid, they are used for letting vehicles ride over them while keeping live stock in (also stops stray Hobbits)
Comments
Brilliant Idea, what a great bike, Just imagine how it might feels to ride such unique bike, it does look kind of little confusing but every body falls the first time as they are hesitated regardless of the bike they are riding, By the way liked the video, hope people should take interest in it too
Kevin
I am a Segway owner and enjoy it immensely. It is classified in the California, USA vehicle code as a pedestrian. This means it can legally be operated anywhere a pedestrian can go with the only proviso that it must yield to pedestrians on foot. This makes it safe and legal to avoid interacting with autos and other vehicles that, frankly, pose a great threat to bicycle riders (which I also am) which exists regardless of special lanes and other rules for cycling safety. Please work with the authorities in California and other states to get the same recognition for Yike.
We are where ever possible trying to make it so the YikeBike can be used any where a bicycle can. It goes similar speeds and has similar or better safety characteristics.
Wanna see how this looks with rider wearing a camel/day pack. What's the best way to transport self and some groceries etc. with?
Yes a pack is the best way for carrying things. Will get some video of that up before too long - thanks for the suggestion
What a phenomenal gift to the world!
I'm living in Andean town of Mérida, Venezuela where the traffic is getting worse and worse. Motorcycles would be a solution except for the fact that so many are stolen so easily.
The YikeBike solves the problem perfectly!
How about offering President Chavez a test ride? I'm sure he would love it and encourage Venezuelans to use it. Ironically, due to the increasing prosperity here, more and more people are buying cars, which then clog up the roads and pollute the air. I hope you're thinking of expanding sales to South America, we need them here.
Kudos to everyone defending this little piece of ingenuity. The negative comments seem to be very unfounded. I just don't see in any of the marketing material where they have "put down" the conventional bicycle. Yes, a lot of the comparisons made in the videos show a Yike Bike performing the similar functions of a bicycle, but I think this is only to show how their strange new product actually performs a lot like a product we've been familiar with our whole lives. I think they're only trying to make it relatable so that we can understand it and perhaps buy one. In fact, the intro video clearly depicts this new bike as a substitute to the automobile in congested urban situations (it'll get you from A to B faster than a Ferrari, and you don't have to find a place to park). Not to mention the environmental pros of using this mode of transportation vs. a car. It should also be pointed out that the concept of a motorized bicycle is Hardly a new one. Many options exist for customers who would prefer their bike do the work for them--this is the first I've seen that you can fold up and carry under your arm.
As far as obesity is concerned, it's not the duty of this company to combat obesity (do we hold car manufacturers to the same standard?), that's a responsibility of every individual. Exercise is a conscious choice, and if people decide they want exercise via riding a bike to commute around town, they'll stick with a bicycle. If they decide they prefer the benefits of the Yike Bike over a traditional bicycle, they can still get their exercise elsewhere (gym, P90X--great at-home program!). To suggest that this $5,000.00 product is going to contribute to obesity in America and the Western world is ridiculous. At that price point, the market penetration of this product is going to be very shallow (although hopefully deep enough for these guys to turn a profit!). I don't have any data to help answer this question, but if I were to guess whether or not the Segway has made America fat, I'd say with confidence the answer is no. The Segway was an exciting new product that generated a lot of buzz, but unfortunately (or fortunately?) never really took off because I don't think people could relate to it. I think the people behind the Yike Bike have done a great job portraying the uses, abilities and advantages (portability being the key strength, IMO) of their product that I really do hope they succeed. I know the economy is down and people (including myself) are having a hard time, but I think we should still cheer each other on rather than tear each other down when we see an effort like this.
Good effort and good luck, I say!
Since the price is high, I suggest that you work out arrangements with leasing/finance companies to lease or rent them. This will encourage trial and allow people to realize that the savings of time and money will exceed the lease cost. It works for cars and houses.
-GML
As a mechanical engineer in Silicon Valley, I admire the ingenuity and technology (Transformer style folding, regenerative braking). As a commuter, this would work between train station/office, jaunts to the grocery store. Unfortunately the price is prohibitive ($5k USD) for this to be successful beyond early implementers. A lower cost version is hopefully in the works (who really needs turn signals and ABS at this speed?). Get the components sourced in China and have one ready for my visit in September!
There will be cheaper versions available eventually - see the mini-farthing website for some ideas. The YikeBike will always be a very high performance beautifully engineered product at the high end of the market.
"situations you are unlikely to encounter in a city"
Are you kidding???!!!!! i guess you have never driven around in most of the major cities of the world!!!
Not sure where you are from but I've yet to see a cattle stop, steep gravel road or wet grass bank as part of a city commute..... I know lots of places have worse pot holes than we showed but we had to hunt for this one and when we went back to do more testing it was filled up (we are kind of lucky down here in New Zealand)
Does the bike have air in the tires for support from bumps or cracks in the road? Is it harder to balance than a regular bike?
The tires are normal air filled with standard tubes. The YikeBike is a different balance than a bike but most people learn it much faster than learning to ride a bike (a few minutes to learn to ride and a few hours to master)
Seriously.......why are we so bent on keeping people from getting exercise? So far you have done nothing but criticize the bicycle. Yet I can kill a lot of birds with one stone on my bicycle. I can get my daily exercise, meaning no need to go the the gym. I can haul a good amount of stuff with panniers or even more by adding a trailer, meaning grocery shopping, laptop, and anything I might need for a days work.
I really don't mind new inventions like this. I am all for progression. What I don't like is how you target a bicycle as if this is some great step above having a bicycle......when it is far from it. Here in America, we already have a weight problem and other Western countries are not far behind. So this is the invention to help fatties become fatter in my opinion. So yeah, I do hope it has a high 250 plus pound weight capacity...;-).
For those of you who love your bikes and find them very versitile, please, carry on. But I ask that you not embarrass other US bloggers by being rude and unappreciative of innovation. This creation is obviously well thought out, tested and retested, masterfully engineered and will, no doubt, be very well marketed and received.
For those who feel the need to compare a bicycle and a Mini Farthing then this one comes to mind:
A wood stove and a microwave; Two very different heat sources with VERY different ranges of usefulness but both with similar results.
An old American saying works here as well......Don't knock it 'til you've tried it!!
Great Job!! Can't wait to see one for myself.
Malinda in Orlando
I see nothing about this that disparages the bicycle, and people are responsible for keeping themselves in shape. It looks like a great invention, and seriously, sometimes I want to get where I'm going without working up a sweat and having to jump in the shower before I can go to a function, as with the bicycle. People also give the bicycle a bad name by how they misuse it in traffic and ignore safety rules, does this make the bicycle a bad thing? Let's remember that all products have pros and cons, and to me this looks fantastic - and did you notice it not getting chained up to a parking meter? I have personal experience with coming out of my evening's entertainment to find my front wheel missing on my very expensive bicycle. It's a matter of personal choice at the end of the day.
People aren't specifically fat because they don't exercise.. and for purpose, this product does everything they set out to do. Check this out, you could almost say "Don't hate the player" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM --
Clip: Robert H. Lustig, MD, UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology, explores the damage caused by sugary foods. He argues that fructose (too much) and fiber (not enough) appear to be cornerstones of the obesity epidemic through their effects on insulin. Series: UCSF Mini Medical School for the Public [7/2009] [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 16717]
** Rock on NZ'ers, you're smarter than the average bears, hope to see Yike in Melbourne soon.
If you want to know why the YikeBike wont make you fat read this post.
Kind of interested to know how and where I have criticised the bike other than tongue in cheek - did you read the title of the blog? Posts like this specifically say "we love our bikes too"
The YikeBike as a 100kg limit
Bike looks great. Are you selling into europe?
martin
coolest mobile transportation invention since SEGWAY!
Wow ! i have never seen such little bike before in my life. Glad to know about yikibike.
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