Beppe C.

Hi everybody
I own an oldish M5 28/20 recumbent bicycle, still a pleasure to ride on the hills of Friul, in North-eastern Italy (European Union), not far from Venice, where I live.
But my favourite now is the Open Waterbike. Don't you know it? That's becouse it's not a bicycle, it's a waterbike, the pleasures of bicycling transferred on water.
It's the same as bicycling on firm ground, but it's also different. You should have a try...
I have started a project to diffuse this new sports, called 'The Open Waterbike Project. Just believed you bicycle enthisiasts could be intersted. Please have a look at the pictures and give me a feedback
Greetings form old Europe!

Giuseppe 'Beppe' Carignani
Founder, The Open Waterbike Project

East Hill

Looks like a sleeker, faster version of the paddleboat . How fast can it go?

Welcome to BF, and feel free to PM me with any questions !

East Hill
Forum Moderator

Beppe C.

Thanks East Hill
well, waterbikes and paddleboats are as different as race bicycles and rickshows.

Waterbikes come in two different types; fastest ones are hydrofoils, built for maximum top speed. Don't miss the video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2UOH65QOI4

Long distance waterbikes, by contrast, are not so fast, but designed for sustainable speed, lasting several hours. Long distance sustainable speed for amaterurs (150 W of total output power) is 6 to 7 knots, that is 10 to 12 Kph. It seems slow, but you can actually enjoy that speed on water and overcome small sailboats and canoes!. The ratio swimming/waterbiking is more or less the same as running/biking: it's the most efficient way to move on water under human power.
A few photos and videos (not so impressive, but showing a more relaxed approach) can be found here:

https://www.openwaterbike.com/our-boat


The concept is exactly the same as for recreational biking: fitness, tourism, even commuting.
...
Beppe

East Hill

That hydrofoil is quite amazing! Thanks for the links .

East Hill