http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp.../ny11304291833
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp..._us/trike_bike

It's basically a large 3 wheeler but it looks cool don't you think? What's cooler is that the back two wheels merge into one as the bike gets faster and then splits back into 2 wheels as the bike slows down.

I just read this story. I think it sounds pretty neat. Maybe, they could make one for adults, too.

Looks pretty cool - would be fun to learn on for a kid!

Kids will think they can really trackstand.

I don't think a kid would learn to balance on one of thoses. Or is that not the point?

Well, it seems essentially like a bike with training wheels on it. Eventually they'd have to give up the tricycle, though, so there would still be that dad running down the street hanging on to the back of the seat. I see your point. When I had my training wheels removed I think I ran the neighbor kid off the side walk because I got so caught up in balancing everything else became insignificant. That family kind of hated my family for the rest of the time we lived in that neighborhood. Oh well, it was their dumb kid's fault for riding towards me when she knew I was just learning. In retrospect, it's kind of humorous. I still remember that moment...and, I guess, as the more experienced cyclist, she should have been better equipped to handle that type of situation. I held my ground, ran her right off the sidewalk, and kept riding. Horrible story. (No one got hurt, except for maybe a skinned knee or elbow)

I bet this thing is going to cost more than any of the bikes I own.

I think that the real use of this" trike-to-bike" will be for the disabled!

Think about it...many people "with a disability" may be able to balance on two wheels when they are "at speed", but cannot at very slow speeds or when stopped. This rig would solve the problem!!

As for able-bodied children, the thing may be more useful to calm parents' often very irrational fears than as a teaching aid for the kid. :( Skinned knees are very useful reminders that balance is important...and that falling is NOT the end of the world...and to get over fear and trepidation (most useful when one gets to the point of riding in traffic, indeed.).

why didn't I have things like this when I was a kid?

Once we took the training wheels off our bikes as kids, how long did it take to learn how to balance? A day or two? I think Black Bud might be right about this design mostly being useful for impaired riders.

As I posted in another thread on this topic, I think this would be a neat design for a commuter or even touring bike. It would certainly make for a wonderful cruiser and in-town runabout.

When the major premise is wrong everything that comes after that is also wrong.

Who ever said parents have to hold the kids bike or that a kid needs training wheels? Both concepts just extend the amount of time that it takes a kid to learn to ride a bicycle.

1. Find a bike where you can lower the seat until the kid can put both feet on the ground.
2. While sitting on the saddle, let him push the bike with his feet on the ground. Gradually he'll learn to take giant steps, coasting more and pushing less. Slight sloping downhills are good.
3. From that point, lifting his feet and pedaling is a natural progression. There is no fear because he knows he can always reach the ground with his feet. In most cases the whole process only takes around 30 minutes. After a week or two you can begin to gradually raise the seat to a more efficient level.

My first bike, a singlespeed Columbia cruiser with coaster brakes, came with training wheels. My parents bought it for me as a Christmas gift and left me to my own devices. It took me about three weeks to learn how to ride. I then took the training wheels off myself. I was five years old at the time.

2.5 This train session should be done in a park with soft grass instead of hard asphalt.

Nope. The best place that I've found is school parking lots on Sunday. You have plenty of wide open paved space and no cars.

i think this bike would have a certain speed where it's unsafe due to being too fast to turn upright since the wheels haven't merged yet, yet would be tough to get on the one split wheel to lean into it...but I could be wrong here.