Puma Glow Rider Review

Typical price:

£825

We like:

It looks quite cool

We don't like:

Puma's ethics; bike practicality throughout; ill-thought-out design touches; the price

SmartPlanet judgement:

Puma is hardly headed for ethical sainthood as a company, but even putting that aside, the Glow Rider simply doesn't perform. It's too heavy, too expensive, too slow. And too many of its unique design touches turn out to be less useful than a stolen bicycle saddle. The glow-in-the-dark coating doesn't work when you want it to (near cars with their lights on), and the cable downtube/lock won't stop thieves trashing or stealing your bike.

Score:

Contact:

Nice Car Company at http://www.puma.com/

Puma was found in 2006, by the National Labor Committee, to be using child labour in brutal conditions in Bangladesh. Now the sports 'n' fashion brand known for its lurid colours has turned its hand to folding bicycles with a barely better result.

The Glow Rider is unusual in many respects. Designed in partnership with Danish firm Biomega, the idea was to create the "unstealable" bike. Hence the Glow Rider's most obvious point of difference -- the downtube, between handlebars and pedals, is replaced by a steel cable. The idea is that when the bike is unfolded, the cable is taught and provides enough tension for a stable ride. When the bike is folded, the cable (using a unique key provided) unclips and reclips around the bike's own wheels, locking securely. In other words, when folded, any thief who cuts the cable also renders the bike unrideable.

This, of course, is where the first problem with the Glow Rider emerges… how smart are thieves? Opportunistic thieves, which make up the majority of bike thefts in London, for instance, would simply cut the cable, then either wheel the bike off or leave it in the gutter. Either way, a pain for you to deal with compared to simply toting a couple of locks.

The second problem? Although having a cable as a downtube took some getting used to, throughout testing there was no problem with it riding over potholes and badly surface roads. But the clasp securing the main frame was another matter -- this loosened itself off several times, which is worrying.

Here's a quick-fire round of other problems: the bike's really heavy; it's only got one gear and one speed -- slow; brakes are rubbish cable-pull discs; it's wobbly over bumps; folded-up, it's awkward to carry; the glow-in-the-dark body only glows in near absolute darkness -- it's useless even with car headlights and street lighting nearby; and, finally, Puma did answer any of the questions we asked about ethical and environmental considerations in the bike's construction.

Throw in that outrageous price, and you really have a stinker of a bike.

Score breakdown:

 

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