Go go gadget e-bike
Charter guests and superyacht owners can enjoy the ultimate freedom with the Kiwi-innovation, the Yikebike – hailed as the world’s smallest portable electric bike.
Photography by YikeBike
20 June 2017
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The award-winning YikeBike was developed by a team “who dared to change the world and believe in a better form of personal transport”, according to its originators.
“Our aim when we started this project was to design something that could become the most commonly owned transport device in the world and we think we may be on to something,” they explain.
“The most commonly owned form of transport in the world today is the bicycle – there are about two billion with another 130 million sold per year.
“The modern bicycle is a truly remarkable design and the basic configuration has not changed for 120 years. The most commonly sold bicycles types are mountain bikes (equivalent of 4WD) or racing bike configuration (stable at 50-60 km/hr) neither of which is ideal for a modern congested city.
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“Our aim was to design a personal transportation device that was as safe, manoeuvrable and as easy to ride as a bike but was designed for lower speeds 20km/h and vastly smaller so that it can be easily taken anywhere in a congested city.
“Rather than take a normal bike and crunch it up like most folding bike designs we took a step back to see if there was another safe stable configuration that is vastly smaller when folded.
“We started from the assumption that you need a decent sized front wheel so you can go through pot holes, up curbs and over bumps in a safe comfortable way. You can see from the development history that it took a lot of trying to find a stable easy to ride design. Although we started with pedal only versions we found that we could make a smaller lighter more useful version using latest battery, motor and controller technologies.”
And so, the compact, portable “mini-farthing” was born.
The model C is the company’s prestigious premium product. Meticulous material preparation and finishing delivers the ultimate in bragging rights. High-tech carbon-fibre construction materials and hand finishing means there are only a few model Cs available to the discerning buyer.
Accommodating a rider up to 100kg, the model C Model can take you up to 23 km per hour and has a 20km range. Carbon fibre and weighing just 11.4kg, it folds up to just 43Litres (665 x 210 x 580mm) and takes 20 seconds to fold out for use or return to stow. It runs on a 313 W/h Lithium Ion battery and has a charge time of 90 minutes.
The model V is constructed of hydroformed aluminium and composite reinforced polymer. The additional option of an articulated three-wheel rear axle offers flexibility and different riding configurations.
The YikeBike is available in Green, Red, Gold, Silver, Charcoal or Matt Clear and comes with Display Stand, Storage Bag, Shoulder Strap and Toolkit. Model C US$7995, model V US$4995.
YikeBike headquarters and manufacturing are in Christchurch New Zealand, within an internationally recognised High Technology hub.
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