It's so simple, I can't believe nobody thought of it until now. the solution? Why, eliminate the saddle entirely.


Just throw in a conventional drive train and, viola.

Saw a woman out on one of these the other day. Looked kinda fun, but she was all over the road, weaving back and forth. I'd hate to meet her on a MUP.

"It's unclear how the prototype is an improvement over conventional bicycles." Indeed..

I've seen a similar unit on two wheels which I think would be preferable. The three wheels rob you of the ability to lean in the turns I would think.
I've ridden upright tricycles, and they scare me in turns.

I can see a whole lot of chafing from those straps...in places I don't wanna be chafed.

or not

*I* met the one I saw on the MUP! It wasn't an issue, because I was so dumbfounded, I STOPPED.

This has the advantages of a microscooter - and one or two significant disadvantages. Best disregarded.

What would you do if you flatted a shoe? Shoe patch kit or a pair of spares I guess!

There has been a great solution to saddle soreness for years---------recumbent bikes and trikes.

All these contraptions on the market and you can still get the same health results riding a bike.

But you might prefer the saddle sores if you crash on it and break your neck.

I'm continually amazed by the lengths that people will go to avoid riding a recumbent. In this case, hanging from straps?

Slime socks, FTW!

See one of those everyday.

What's worse (in terms of being all over the road) are those pedalless cycles that are propulsed by steering left and right. I couldn't find an image of what I'm talking about, but oy ... what a bad idea.

I think I can take em on a 2% grade! Its merely a scooter with bad posture!

As with the others, I don't think replacing saddle sores with the problems of straps digging into your most sensitive bits, is an improvement. Also, I dare these modern dandy-horse users to keep up with a pedal-powered person on level or uphill ground.

You're referring to a Trikke? Those things are just plain trail hogs.

Yup. That'd be them. In California at least, they do not fit the legal definition of a bicycle, and are not permitted on bike paths ... not that it stops anyone.

I wouldn't trade my bike for one, but those Street Striders look like a lot of fun. Whole lot better than spending an hour on the elliptical trainer at the gym.

There is a group that have these and they come out to the MUP I ride at and are most often there on the weekends. That's also when the local cycling clubs and bike shop riders are there. They absolutely hate these things because they cause them to slow down their pacelines since they are so hard to pass with them weaving across the path, especially when there are several of them. Personally, I don't mind them unless there are more than two. Then they have to ride offset to keep from running into one another and it really does make it hard to get around them, especially when you're on a bike path that has a bridge going over a major highway.

I am trying to imagine the sanity of trying to have a paceline on a MUP. ANY MUP.

My imagination is failing.

Yep. Saw one on my ride last Sunday. Going up a not-so-steep grade, the dang thing was swinging in 6' arcs, just to go walking speed. I had to go out into the middle of the traffic lane to pass, and this is on a road with a really wide bike lane.

So, why are there so many alternatives to bikes that don't work as well as bikes in just about any way, yet they keep appearing?

Think of them all as exercise machines. Not everyone out there wants to ride a bike.