The YikeBike mini-farthing is a type of folding electric motorbike released on 2 September 2009 at

Eurobike Eurobike is an international bicycle trade fair held annually since 1991 in the first week of September, on the grounds of Messe Friedrichshafen, one of the largest and most modern exhibition centres in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. The bike show i ...

, going into production mid 2010. It weighs and when folded, it is small enough to fit in a carry bag, so it can be transported in an

urban bus Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

. The YikeBike was invented by Grant Ryan and designed by a team in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

over 5 years.

Characteristics

The YikeBike looks like a mini version of a

penny farthing The penny-farthing, also known as a high wheel, high wheeler or ordinary, is an early type of bicycle. It was popular in the 1870s and 1880s, with its large front wheel providing high speeds (owing to its travelling a large distance for every r ...

(mini-farthing). The YikeBike folds to and weighs , so it can be carried around. The vehicle has no chain, pedals, gear box, mechanical brake, cables or levers. These functions are provided by a

electric motor An electric motor is an Electric machine, electrical machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a Electromagneti ...

and controller. The YikeBike has regenerative electronic anti-skid brakes. There are also built-in lights, indicators and horn for safety.

Media appearances

In September 2009, YikeBike was launched at

in Germany. YikeBike was ranked 15th on

Time magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Mar ...

's 50 Best Inventions of 2009 list. YikeBike featured on

Discovery Channel Discovery Channel (known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery) is an American cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav. , Discovery Channe ...

's Daily Planet show. YikeBike featured on A&E's

Storage Wars ''Storage Wars'' (stylized as ''STORAGE WAR$'') is an American reality television competition series that airs on A&E (TV channel), A&E. It initially aired for 12 seasons, from December 1, 2010, to January 30, 2019. A 13th season premiered in ...

. A yikebike was found in a storage locker in

Season 4 Season 4 may refer to: * "Season 4" (''30 Rock'' episode), an episode of ''30 Rock'' See also * * Season One (disambiguation) Season One may refer to: Albums * ''Season One'' (Suburban Legends album), 2004 * ''Season One'' (All Sons & Daughte ...

's Episode 2 (Series show #74, The Young and the Restless).

Stephen Fry Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director and writer. He first came to prominence in the 1980s as one half of the comic double act Fry and Laurie, alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring ...

tested the YikeBike in season 1, episode 1 of ''

Stephen Fry's 100 Greatest Gadgets Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; ...

Specifications

Original model / Fusion

References

{{reflist

External links

Official Website
Electric concept cars Bicycles New Zealand design