Discussion on:

Is this the strangest bike concept ever?

I hate to say it, but that bike looks extremely uncomfortable!! You can't straigthen your back and staps in your crotch don't seem more comfortable than a bike seat. Sorry, not for me.

Looks like the inconvenience of walking combined with the awkwardness of a bicycle. It might have been more convincing had the guy in the video not weave so awkwardly. He never looked comfortable or relaxed. Also, wearing a daypack is out, so how does one carry personal items?

... could be carried in a 'Baby Bjorn'

at 1:30 he nearly runs over a kid. He should have been more careful around tots... and what does he do, just tuck his feet up by the rear wheels and hold them there? I hope he uses velcro, not laces on his shoes! And then there's the impacts at speed with the ground, no wonder he weaves. The last thing I want to do when I'm on my bike is put a foot down.

Way back before bicycles with pedals that was the same way a bicycle was moved. Using feet. This is not a new concept but a very old concept that did not work very well.

Looked to me, from the video, that the riders "package" was surrounded by the "5 point harness". At 250 pounds, I cant imagine having my manhood suspended from this contraption for very long. And IF I were to fall, where do those straps align ? No Thanks.

Looked like he would keep scuffing his heels on the back tire... I would also like to see what happens when the guy comes to a curb... I can negotiate a curb without any issue on a regular bike, I don't see this thing as handling modern obstacles very well...

You could probably negotiate an entire staircase that way.

DWFields, you have made several posting attempting to defend the value of this design against the numerous criticisms. In most cases your defense seems based on a lack of understanding of the problems. I will try to clarify the most serious problems:
1. Safety.

You claim additional safety relating the frame of this design to the cage of an automobile frame. This would only be valid for a car which required the drivers head to be sticking out the window wedged between two frame members with his arms wrapped around frame members to reach the steering wheel.
In this design, the frame had a relationship to the rider's head analogous to a bottle opener opener to a beer cap....not a protective frame. Broken arm potential also looks intimidating.
The frame further appears to disallow the possibility of wearing a helmet.

2.Function:

The lack of pedals or foot pegs creates a lack of ability for the rider to shift weight meaningfully to the left or right. The frame further limits the riders motion by limiting movement vertically. This is harmful because it limits the riders ability to change position for maneuvering, balance, or in an attempt to see beyond obstructions. Numerous problems come to mind.Quick transitions from flat to uphill or downhill to flat can create conditions where neither of the riders feet can touch the ground...and with nothing to put them on to shift weight, if balance is lost, it won't easily be regained. Similarly, when riding on a ridge or riding transverse to a gradient (uphill to one side and downhill on the other), the bike will have a tendency to take the rider down the hill since increased lean will be required to place the foot down on that side...and since rider position is so restricted.
Uphill travel has got to be difficult.....notice the video does not show any uphill scenes.
.
There are other problems but realistically the problems above are sufficient to eliminate it from consideration as a good idea.

... enuff said

How many kilometers per shoe? It needs a better place to rest your feet. How is it uphill? It also appears you could injure your ankles if not careful.

It offers no energy saving over running so why buy it.
No basket, can't wear a backpack, not a commuter vehicle.

Think about it. You have no weight on your feet at all, so the impact on knees, ankles, hips and other joints is minimized--saving energy to the point that you could *walk* several miles in the same time it takes you to jog one mile with a lot less effort than jogging. I could see maybe a hinge at the shoulders so you could stand upright without having to lift the front wheel off the ground.

You also seem to ignore the possibilities for carrying a lot more on this than a mere backpack--without carrying that weight on your shoulders.

This thing is ingenious!

Smart Planet apparently has no QC at all regarding the submissions it accepts. Not every retarded idea deserves media attention and this one is so bad it's embarrassing to think it came from someone of the same species.

Allowing the bikers body wt. to compress the chest cavity against/abdomen the straps is contradictory to the basic definition of"ergonomic:"

"Designed to minimize physical effort and discomfort, and hence maximize efficiency." World English Dictionary.

It also conflicts with optimizing basic metabolism - interferes with cardiac pumping efficiency, restricts with lung expansion and circulation in general - during physical exertion. The human rib cage is "free floating" with flexible attachment points for a reason - and anything that restricts it is counter productive - and generally unhealthy.

Once again we have "designers" with an insufficient amount of technical training (physiology,biology, engineering, etc.) to adequately define the design problem and be able to propose realistic potential solutions - at least ones that aren't absurd. Of course tossing out mechanical advantage in the propulsion system (gearing) is also - counter "ergonomic" and difficult to explain logically if not intellectually. All in all - this "design" is neither "ergonomic," nor does it represent any advancement in the concept of the bicycle.

Some months ago, SmartPlanet suggested thorium reactors might be the solution to our energy problems with equal rashness and lack of expertise...

I'm afraid that once I started riding this bi-cycle, that I would not want to get off of it. I quiet sense of flight. Sure the ergonomics look bad enough, but really. It is not a mountain bike. It is not a racing bike nor road bike. It is a gently cruise that will wear out you shoes, but who cares I've got wind in my hair.

If for some reason you are upset and find yourself flat on the ground, you will still be strapped to your vehicle. I think that this will be a very unsafe bike to ride. Think about all those little and not so little munchkins who will help you fall while riding/running in the city.

this contraption seems to be going back to the balance bike - recommended so that kids can experience "balance" without the complication of "power" (pedals) - these are coming back into popularity.

cf the early Safety bicycle, the "hobby horse" &&&

Its useless concept.
Hover bike is much batter and great idea for future.
Read here
http://goodtechsystems.com/hoverbike-ride-of-the-future/

Though I would love to have one myself, I wouldn't consider the hoverbike in the same class as a bike, at least as a commuting alternative. It wouldn't fit in a bike lane, and would require a standard parking space, unless it could use its hovering ability to allow it to park above cars.

I see broken necks, ankles, and mayhem as soon as you get too tired and sloppy with that. You are trapped in a dangerous cage, there...

Unlike every other type of bike, you've got a frame over your shoulders that actually help protect you in the event of impact with another object and not send you flying into traffic.

Remember, your car is a cage, too.

There seems to be something there, bits and parts of it, but not as constituted.

What I would like to see is the opposite, where instead of hanging from a harness, the person lays on top of the bike, distributing the weight across more surface area than just a seat and also lowering the center of gravity. You can even tilt it up a bit so that the person has better visibility.

Then, I see no reason not to add pedals and a gearing mechanism to get the advantage of a wheeled bicycle. I do like the option of just propelling myself forward with feet only...very good for crowds, or at stop lights, crosswalks and so on. But at the same time, if your feet are ideally positioned to reach pedals that could be directly connected tot he rear wheel, but with some chainless gearing system.

Needs work...but...keep working on it!

Sketch it out and see if you can get a bike maker build you one. You could probably patent it and maybe even make money on it.

Personally, I like the fact that the frame supports your weight on this design rather than a tiny seat supporting you on a thin metal tube. The harness is little different from a parachute or hang-glider harness where some flyers soar for hours without effort. To me, this is a great idea, albeit a little clumsy mounting and dismounting.

Any idea is stupid or brilliant from some person's point of view. Try to keep an open mind - this is still a concept. I can see lots of pros, but I don't like the straps through the crotch! Additional places for carrying packages would be good, and a quick release for the harness, or maybe do something other than the harness...