Yike(s) Bike!

YikeBike

Afternoons in our subdivision, you'll see a bunch kids riding bikes with the handlebars deliberately stripped off, kinda like a monocycle in a circus act, except the bikes still have two wheels--so no, scratch the monocycle reference.

Anyway, apparently, they rent the bikes for P5 an hour, which, to a kid, is already an eternity.  The bicycles look precarious, but the kids seem to enjoy them.  Why else would they keep scooting around?  

This is the sad truth: there are kids in the world who don't have a bicycle of their own, and who have to rent out a bike if only to experience a ride.

 
When I was twelve, my dad gave my sis and I bikes.  It took me forever to figure out how to ride one.  On the day I finally did, I looked back to check if Daddy was still helpfully behind, found him far far back, panicked, and fell--the bike crashing on me promptly. 

I had to wear a cast for about a year.  After they sawed it open, I rode again.

* * *

And then there's the YikeBike--a super-lightweight, folding bike.  

For the jaw-dropping price of $3,600 (the Yikes! part), you get to ride this strange-looking battery-operated contraption, sure to invite questioning looks from everyone.  Then, when you reach your destination (assuming the battery didn't die on you), you simply fold up the bike and put it in its special backpack.  Something this expensive, you carry it around with you (it's light-weight), not leave it on the street chained to post.

 

Obviously, the YikeBike is aimed at the moneyed yuppie or the rich urban dweller who's tried roller-blading to work before and now wants a bike.  If you're the old school type who firmly believes in pedal power, this bike isn't your thing.  

The inventors say they've trimmed down the traditional penny-farthing and turned it into a mini-farthing in response to congested cities needing a fast. convenient and portable means of transportation.  For $3,600 though, I'm thinking that's already a lot of perfectly good bikes to go around for kids.