With the recent accidental death of Belgian professional cyclist Wouter Weylandt in the 2011 Giro d’Italia, the question we might ask ourselves is: Are bikes really that safe, as we assume them to be because of their low speeds? Quite ironically, the inherent problem actually lies with balancing at low speeds, as the instability creeps in because of lack of inertia. Now even trikes have their own set of stability issues, especially in context of the cornering at higher speeds.
So a German company has meticulously considered both of the above mentioned issues, and in a bid to rectify the easy riding predicaments of both of bikes and trikes, has come up with the all new Swingtrike. The designers have ingeniously contrived a tilting mechanism that utilizes a hardy rubber spring between the rear wheels. This spring allows the wheels to literally jolt in a controlled manner, thus keeping all the wheels grounded even if the trike goes through some undulating, rocky terrain.
Other than the drive mechanism, the creators have also given much thought to the ergonomic seating arrangement. The saddle is kept 20 cm (8 inches) behind the cranks, whereas the steering bar is kept high and the seat is 6cm lower (2.5 inches) than on conventional bikes. This gives the rider a more upright seating position (much like the Harleys), ensuing that his focus is not lost towards the ground. The gear system can also be supposedly upgraded to a Shimano eight gear hub, for better controls.
Coming to the convenience aspect, the bike can be incorporated with a plethora of features like child seat, aluminum carrier, lighting system and mudguards. But most importantly it is foldable for easy portability; and, for interested buyers, the whole zero emission contraption comes at a retail price of EUR1,699 ($2,434).
Source: GizMag
