Wow. Talk about bulletproof!
 

Just saw these. Sorry if I'm behind the curve, but wow, these look interesting.

RuggedCycle:

http://www.ruggedcycles.com/industrialbikes/

Hmmm... shaft drive is a great lower periodic maintenance option on motorcycles, but the maintenance that IS required tends to be very costly. And frequently ignored.

I have not heard good things about airless tires and many of the shaft-drive bikes that have been produced to date have proven to be unreliable. Those seem to be the bike's most remarkable features.

It doesn't appear to be a bike you're going to go too fast on so the internal rear brake is probably a good choice.

It seems to be good for what it is intended for...riding around a industrial plant/complex..I could use one at our 100,000 sqft facility.....but I would be soooo much cooler if a rode a fixie.

I just found out how much the company is charging for these: $1149.00

I didn't realize it was gold-plated.

Yikes on that price! You can get 3 Summit Workhorses (Schwinn Heavy Duty knockoff/replacement) for that amount.

Search around here for postings from people who have purchased shaft drive bikes. IIRC, they work OK but like anything they will eventually require service, and when that happens, you're looking at a service that hardly any mechanic will be familiar with, expensive and hard to get parts. Some of the shaft drive stories around here indicate that some of the shaft drive mechanisms are very fragile and don't last as long as an average chain drivetrain.

Wait, their "advantage" of shaft drive is that it reduces the risk from chain-related injuries?

Who the hell gets injured by a chain? I'd guess people who buy a bike and never, ever do any sort of maintenance on it whatsoever.

I seem to remember reading here where somebody made a rather spectacular crash into a small body of water produced in a heavy rainfall, - because they got a pant leg caught in a chain. ;)

I'm sure a chain guard would have worked fine to prevent it.

Airless tires are apparently awful. Several books I've read (Lennard Zinn, Robert Hurst) say that cushioning is the major advantage of pneumatic tires. They even call them one of the major innovations of bicycling. Might not matter in a flat industrial plant, of course, but it's gonna be a rough ride on any other terrain!

But, airless tires do have a place. I used to have a cargo trike with airless front tires. When I was carrying nearly half a ton of weight, airless was the way to go. When I had loads like that, I was glad I lived in a city with a total elevation change (not counting overpasses) of about 2 feet.

I wanted one until I saw the price on it! it's costing a leg or two! and without them... it defeats the purpose of owning the bike when I can't ride it... >.> looks neat though...

It looks like another marketing gimmick, to pull money out of peoples pockets. There is nothing wrong with a traditional chain and sprocket drivetrain. A chain/sprocket drivetrain is as bulletproof as it gets, nothing to go wrong if installed correctly and simple to maintain if it ever needs to.

Airless tires are unsafe as they will roll off the rims. If you ride perfectly straight on pristine surfaces and slowly, they might be worth a try. Otherwise, if you ride like normal people, avoid them at all costs.

When mine rolled of the front rim, I had just slowed down and left traffic. I could have been killed because of them.

I can't comment on the rest of the bike.

I remember a few years ago I went on a plant tour at printing facility, and they had bikes for getting around the plant. Each bike had a painted parking spot. I think they were old 3-speeds.

All I need to know is the weight -- 40 lbs. -- and that's enough info for me. Wouldn't want to ride that up the hills on my commute route.

Folks,these aren't being marketed as commuter bikes. They're for riding around work areas,warehouses,and industrial operations. They're perfect for that.

I wouldn't want to ride one for these on my daily commute around DC,but I sure as heck wouldn't want to ride my cross bike around a construction site.

Bike looks pretty theft-proof, too. Well, at least, I wouldn't steal it.

+1 for that price you could find a used golf cart on Craigslist.:p

Sorry, but "Worksman" still owns the industrial market with their tank like steel bikes. Been making them for over 100 yrs in New York city!!

www.worksman.com

Airless tires are useful in places that machine metal and leave chips all over the floor .
But a good machinist is fastidious with their metal chips. My father was a Machinist

he was also Diabetic and so had nerve damage to his feet so a metal shaving worked its way thru his shoes
into his foot and stayed ther for a long time undetected untill it became infected .

Ok it combines airless tires a shaft drive and a big basket , It may be useful in Boeing's big hanger, or a shipyard,
or maybe auto assembly

Or maybe the factorys in Asia where everything else is made ..

At that price, I'd take my chances and buy a hardtail if I really wanted something rugged.

The airless tires should be fine for this application. The shaft drive less so. You could accomplish the same goal with a belt drive. Or even a chain with guard (but for this application, I think belt would be better).