It's like getting your first Big Wheel all over again —
and you don't even have to pedal. An innovative bicycle-design
concept derived from the old-fashioned penny-farthing, the
YikeBike is a folding electric bicycle out of New Zealand.
The rider sits on the seat, holds on at the sides and zooms
around at a top speed of 12 m.p.h. (20 km/h). You lean left
or right to steer, and it even comes with electronic antiskid
brakes. The first 100 YikeBikes will be road-ready by mid-2010
in New Zealand as well as the U.K. and selected other countries
in Europe.
The YikeBike weighs roughly 20 lb. (9 kg) and runs on a lithium
phosphate battery that can be charged to 80% capacity in 20
minutes