With my Saints vanquished in a devastating loss to da Bears, it’s time that I turn my attention to the other sport in my life: cycling. Or at least some crazy bastardization thereof.
The HyperBike is based on the design of a racing wheelchair with one key difference—it utilizes the rider’s arms and legs. It 8-foot exterior wheels that tilt in toward the top to increase stability. Despite its 200-pound mass, the HyperBike’s inventor says that its “crawling at 50mph.”
Development of the machine is being funded by NASA, so you could soon be seeing the HyperBike on an alien planet near you.
HyperBike: Hype or Hope? [TreeHugger via Gizmodo]
This thing is just so stupid. The inventor claims that speeds of 50 MPH are possible, but that’s pure rubbish. He’s apparently based that on the gear ratios alone, without accounting for the horrible aerodynamics, the moment of inertia of the needlessly gigantic wheels, or the tremendous weight of the contraption itself. I’m all for odd pursuits, but don’t try to tell me it’s some sort of design and engineering breakthrough when it’s really just a poorly considered pile of pipe.