Pedal with your neighbors to work

HPbus6.jpg

This 2.5 metric ton bicycle bus built by students at the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands has 32 seats where each rider must pedal to power it. A good way to describe it would be the Flintstones car meets a Viking oar-driven ship meets your local fitness center.

Multi-Rider Bicycle Bus [via]

Posted by Jonah Brucker-Cohen | Apr 19, 2008 07:00 AM
Bicycles | Permalink | Comments (6) | Email This | Bookmark and Share | Digg this!

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Posted by: on April 19, 2008 at 7:35 AM

...after having dropped off all of your other 31 neighbors at their respective places of work.


Posted by: George M. Ewing on April 19, 2008 at 8:34 AM

Unless this is enclosed for weather protection, can't see much advantage over regular bikes...
harder to park, for sure. if it is enclosed, then you need energy for heat or a/c in most
climates...a multi-rider four (or more) wheel vehicle might be safer in traffic and on icy roads, etc.....

something smaller, 8-10 riders might be more practical.....


73, George M. Ewing, wa8wte/4


Posted by: thesamurai1200 on April 19, 2008 at 8:56 AM

What uselessly harsh criticism... why don't YOU build one?

I think it'd phenomenal. These types of things aren't meant to be practical. They tend to be more like art.


Posted by: MadScott on April 19, 2008 at 9:13 AM

Just don't try to drive it in Toronto!

http://www.discoverychannel.ca/shows/showdetails.aspx?sid=8102


Posted by: Volkemon on April 19, 2008 at 9:36 AM

Ouch!

@thesamurai1200- I have always enjoyed your comments, and hope your day is going better!
"What uselessly harsh criticism... why don't YOU build one?"- Well, at 171 lbs/rider, (2.5 * 2200 / 32) it certainly is artwork, as you stated.Definetly not practical, nor something I would want to build! I feel that George's comments are right on, and certainly not 'harsh'.

@George-
"...a multi-rider four (or more) wheel vehicle might be safer in traffic and on icy roads, etc....." I think the term bicycle is used (inaccurately) to describe the pedal/chain driveline, and not that it has only two wheels. I can see dual rear tires in the picture on each side of the axle.

That would be necessary if the 2.5 metric tons is the vehicle weight. Using 130lbs as an 'average' university student rider weight, that gives 4160lbs of riders, (32 * 160), on top of the 5500lbs vehicle weight, the GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight) is 9660lbs!! The tires on my Subaru are rated 1650lbs/tire maximum( I just ran out to look....225/60r16) so six of them would be needed, and would be VERY near their limit at that.


Posted by: Twopeak on April 20, 2008 at 8:33 AM

Beer-bike

In Belgium and the Netherlands they have a bike that doubles as a bar: everyone powers the bike, one person steers and another serves the beer.
It's wild popular for events like bachelor activities or student groups.

I found some pictures here: http://www.achteransen.nl/foto/main.php?g2_itemId=111
you can find more pictures by looking for "bier fiets".


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