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Whike is a brand of
Official websitePhotographs of Whike-test drives
Treehugger article on the WhikeBBC Article on the Whikenewspaper article
{{Human-powered vehicles Bicycles Tricycles Sailing
Whike is a brand of recumbent tricycle
A recumbent bicycle is a bicycle that places the rider in a laid-back reclining position. Most recumbent riders choose this type of design for ergonomic reasons: the rider's weight is distributed comfortably over a larger area, supported by ba ...
s with a sail
A sail is a tensile structure—which is made from fabric or other membrane materials—that uses wind power to propel sailing craft, including sailing ships, sailboats, windsurfers, ice boats, and even sail-powered land vehicles. Sails may ...
, manufactured in the Netherlands.
First released on 5 June 2008, it has a sail and can reach speeds up to with wind speeds of 4–5 bft (). It can be legally used on both bike lanes and streets in the Netherlands and UK. Activating the front brake releases the sail's spinlock, assuring there will be no more wind-propulsion.
Features
The Whike features a three piece aluminium mast that can be stowed away on board when not needed. It is also equipped with 18 gears. To maintain responsive stopping the trike is fitted withdisc brakes
A disc brake is a type of brake that uses the calipers to squeeze pairs of pads against a disc or a "rotor" to create friction. This action slows the rotation of a shaft, such as a vehicle axle, either to reduce its rotational speed or to hol ...
on all wheels. The cycle also has a handbrake. The Whike weighs including the sail and can carry a maximum weight of including luggage. Additionally, the sail can aid visibility of the cycle.
Additional features:
*Three-wheeled recumbent with sail
*Propulsion by wind and Pedal Power
*Top speed
*Sail operated through pulley and spinlock mainsheet
In sailing, a sheet is a line (rope, cable or chain) used to control the movable corner(s) ( clews) of a sail.
Terminology
In nautical usage the term "sheet" is applied to a line or chain attached to the lower corners of a sail for the purpos ...
system
*Sail released automatically by any braking action
*Mast can be removed for storage or transport
*luggage rack
It is recommended to ride a Whike only with a helmet, having a load of at least , to use a smaller sail at wind speeds over 5 bft (at more than ) and not use any sail with wind speeds over 6 bft (at more than ).
Availability
The Whike is sold directly to customers and is also available from some specialist suppliers. The Whike costs around €3500 for customers in the Netherlands (2010) with accessories available for additional cost.See also
*Outline of cycling
:''This article is an outline about the activity of cycling. For an outline about bicycles themselves, see outline of bicycles.''
:The following ''outline'' is provided as an overview of, as well as a topical guide to cycling:
Cycling, al ...
* List of motorized trikes
List of motorized trikes is a list of motorized tricycles also called trikes, and sometimes considered cars. There are three typical configurations: motorized bicycle with sidecar; two wheels in the rear, one in the front (aka trike); and two in ...
* Tricycle
A tricycle, sometimes abbreviated to trike, is a human-powered (or gasoline or electric motor powered or assisted, or gravity powered) three-wheeled vehicle.
Some tricycles, such as cycle rickshaws (for passenger transport) and freight trikes, ...
* Land sailing
Land sailing, also known as sand yachting, land yachting or dirtboating, is the act of moving across land in a wheeled vehicle powered by wind through the use of a sail. The term comes from analogy with (water) sailing. Historically, land saili ...
References
External links
Official website
Treehugger article on the Whike
{{Human-powered vehicles Bicycles Tricycles Sailing