Hyping the HyperBike

deforest_small.jpgInventor Curt DeForest Jr. claims that his HyperBike will be the fastest and safest human-powered vehicle ever built.  It’s roll cage supposedly can withstand a 200 mph impact. DeForest writes:

I set out to create a machine that would promote good health and good posture, could travel great distances at top speeds, did not use fossil fuels, and was safe and good for you. The HyperBike is what the bicycle should have been.

The conventional bicycle is unstable and dangerous on the road. The
rider is vulnerable in traffic no matter how experienced. It is the
height of danger to be balanced on two inch-wide tires with nothing
between the driver and road objects. A cyclist is more vulnerable than
a pedestrian by virtue of being "in" traffic, not just near it.

Cyclists
are unable to travel safely at the same speed as traffic; neither can
they accelerate nor stop as quickly. And, unlike the Hyperbike, a
seated cyclist is reduced to using only leg muscles for propulsion.
Whereas, the operator of a Hyperbike uses legs, torso, arms and body
weight for propulsion. 

  • alex

    But trying to park the hyper bike would probably be worse than trying to park a car.

  • This should really grab the mainstream and get Americans out of their cars.

  • brent

    The fact that bikes are unsafe is not because of a design flaw with the bicyle. It is a flaw in street design and public attitude.

  • Dormer

    This thing is ridiculous! First of all, where are you going to store the 8 ft. high, 200 lb. monstrosity? And who wants to “travel great distances at top speeds” while standing the whole time.

    “The conventional bicycle is unstable and dangerous on the road.”

    Does this guy ride a bike?!

    “The rider is vulnerable in traffic no matter how experienced. It is the height of danger to be balanced on two inch-wide tires with nothing between the driver and road objects.”

    This argument doesn’t address the fact that it is the motorists who are dangerous to cyclist, not the bikes.

    “Cyclists are unable to travel safely at the same speed as traffic.”

    A fit cyclist in city traffic can keep up and even pass traffic up to about 25 mph. A fully faired recumbent can travel at 50 mph on level ground (the world record is close to 80 mph).

    What happens if you get a flat tire? The Hyperbike is totally impractical.

  • Yes, the Hyperbike is preposterous. Yes, autos of course pose the vast majority of whatever serious dangers bicyclists face.

    But don’t discount bike design as a deterrent to increased bicycling. Watch for the “crank forward” design to steadily grow in popularity as people seek more comfort from their steeds. My Electra Townie has brought new joy to my daily bicycling, and I’m going to explore the more performance-oriented models that Rans is now producing. Well worth a look.

    (The linked site is commerical in nature. I am a longstanding Rans customer but have no other connection to them.)

  • The great distances must only apply to flat areas. How much does that thing weigh? I would not want to try to move that thing uphill…or even manage it downhill…

  • rhubarbpie

    I love this! You’re all right: it probably won’t catch on, and there are a lot of questions about it. But why not take back the road in a even more dramatic way? Think about it. A couple of these could jam up automobile traffic more quickly than the entire Time’s Up rides.

  • crzwdjk

    “Cyclists are unable to travel safely at the same speed as traffic; neither can they accelerate nor stop as quickly.”

    I’ve found that, in New York, I can often travel faster than traffic. And as for acceleration, bikes are actually BETTER than cars, first of all because they don’t have two tons of metal to accelerate, and second, because internal combustion engines have rather low power output at zero speed. Oh and finally, if your hyperbike is heading for a cliff or obstacle or whatever, how the hell do you get out?

  • Eric

    crzwdjk: “if your hyperbike is heading for a cliff or obstacle or whatever, how the hell do you get out?”

    I’ll bet that thing has an escape pod.

    But seriously, I don’t quite think we should be knocking the inventor of a non-polluting, super-fast cycle.

  • dreamon

    seriously cool! the city should get at least a thousand of these things just to attrack tourism.

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

Traffic Signals Timed for Bicycling

By Aaron Naparstek |
Here is an interesting bike infrastructure story out of Copenhagen, Denmark. 30,000 Cyclists Get the Green Wave: Cars and especially buses have for year had the benefit of a green traffic light wave on the roads. But now it is the cyclists turn to enjoy a smooth ride through the city without stopping at red […]
STREETSBLOG USA

A Dutch Bicycle Engineer’s Perspective on the Sharrow

By Angie Schmitt |
Sharrows: the consolation prize of bike infrastructure. Dick van Veen, a Dutch bike engineer who is currently working in Ottawa, says cyclists often ask him about this symbolic gesture toward bike safety. He says in America, sharrows are often painted on an otherwise inhospitable road. The Dutch use them too, but they have a very different approach, he explains at Urban […]

How Much Do Bicyclists Really Slow Down Drivers?

By Sarah Goodyear |
What’s really slowing these cars down? Probably not bikes. Photo by richardmasoner via Flickr. What is it about bicycles that drives some motorists so crazy? Anyone who’s ever ridden a bike more than a handful of times in this country has experienced it. The honking, the rude remarks, the vehicles speeding past with drivers shouting […]
STREETSBLOG USA

In Copenhagen, Motoring on Cyclists’ Terms

By Brad Aaron |
Today on the Network, Copenhagenize takes a look at a proposal that shakes up the traditional “complete street” concept. As presented in a municipal “idea catalogue,” the plan is to redesign Copenhagen’s Vestergade as a “bicycle street,” where cyclists and pedestrians come first, and motor vehicle traffic is the second-tier mode. The entire road will be turned […]