I GAVE UP FOR A DAY

Unwheeldy. This awesome 2 wheeler was built for the World Championship Kinetic Sculpture Race.

“The concept for the vehicle was to have giant wheels, but only two of them, and side-by-side. In that configuration, the pilots can hang below an axle connecting the wheels, and thus not need to balance. With two wheels, the vehicle could have two pilots and each could pedal one of the wheels. That way steering could be accomplished simply by one pilot pedalling faster than the other. With only two wheels, the vehicle would roll like a can on its side with an off-center weight in it. The danger of course is that on a very steep slope the off-center weight might not be enough to keep the whole thing from rolling down the hill. This seemed like a perfect challenge for me: build something where the design is inherently dangerous, but do it well enough to stay safe.” 

The busycle is like a pedal version of a Roman slave ship. 15 people sweat to pull their weight, and the driver at the front sits back and leads the way. Still, its fun.

Car Cycle. Bob Stuart developed this seminal car cycle in the mid 80’s, while working on various ogther types of human powered transport. It creates a 30% efficiency improvement over ordinary bicycles and will keep you nice and dry in the winter, but ultimately with large cars on the road small fragile boxes, low to the ground, won’t ever take off. 

Conference bike. This is a triycle pedaled by 7 riders sitting in a circle. One person steers, while everyone is free to pedal or not as the bike moves effortlessly along. Why is it cool? Check out this heartwarming video of it in action. 

Ladep Tallbike. The deal here is that because of the reverse chain configuration and double decker friction wheel drive, you have to pedal backwards to go forwards. 

Parallel quad bike. This unusual seven wheeled quad bike was created for Israel’s largest bike ride, the 1 day ‘Ride of Hope’. 

SideWay Bike. Which side of the criminally insane/pure genius dividing line this creation sits is not clear. A wing like frame supports the two wheels, and you face (and pedal, amazingly) at right angles to the direction in which you move.

The Beer Bike Source