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Halfbike

halfbikes.com

66 pointstrueduke66 comments

Given that ~75% of the comments here are negative and a lot of those are related to how ridiculous this looks, surely someone has to raise the question of market research?

At what point does it become ok to try and sell something that the vast majority of people are going to find absurd? I don't know anyone (and I live in a fairly hipster town) who would even contemplate using one of these. Maybe the high cost means that they can make enough profit per unit to make it worthwhile?

Very Nathan Barley-esque: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhAr_UeroCk

Maybe they built it intentionally as absurd as possible, while still being theoretically usable, and put even more absurd price tag, to trick a handful of people into thinking it is actually something so good they can't even understand what is so good about it? The kind of effect when you price something really high and it becomes an item of luxury, even if it's worthless.

Jesus, a thousand bucks. I can't believe anyone would buy one of these for two hundred. It looks unstable, difficult to maneuver, and even dorkier than a recumbent. The basic mechanical principles that make bikes worth having seem to have been left behind.

Who the hell are they trying to sell these to? While I understand the labor that could probably go into making one of these (probably less than 4 hours), the total cost of the actual bike should be no more than $100. $1000 for a bike that looks like it should cost about $30 - $50?

It's like they took all the worst parts of a tricycle, a unicycle, and a broom, and combined them with the inconvenience of standing up the whole time.

And it can't go uphill... From the FAQ: How well does Halfbike handles hills? Riding uphill is alright as long as it is a gentle slope. Halfbike isn't really made for steep hills so if it gets too steep you may have to push.

I also noticed two different frame designs, one of which looks hard to get U-lock through, and the other may be impossible. The FAQ suggests using an 'ordinary cable-lock', which doesn't sound very safe.

You certainly wouldn't want to lock $1,000 up with a cable lock.

I don't know, halfbikes look fun to ride and compact to carry, and definitely less clunky than bicycles. An additional bonus is that literally no one rides halfbikes (and not very many people will for a while, at that price). Riding one would certainly attract looks and questions.

>Riding one would certainly attract looks and questions.

So does wearing a large purple sombrero. That doesn't mean I'm going to pay $1000 for one.

I see about $200 worth of parts. Now add the Name, time for fabrication and laminated wood, yeah...

I don't like the single handle bar or tiny two hand handle bar, I would want something with more grip for aggressive riding and peddling.

I'll stick with my BMX.

In the early 90's these were called 'skate bikes': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Pe7Q5sFfw

Endo for days... Hit the right crack in the sidewalk and life becomes fun.

The kickstarter page (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/774841427/halfbike) is more useful that their website to get an idea about it is.

Agreed. Far better than the actual website. Took me from thinking it's completely ridiculous to thinking it looks kind of fun, albeit still not worth nearly $1000.

The stability of this appears questionable. Anything at high speed looks dangerous - for example: tight cornering, and hard breaking. At $1000 I'm wondering why I'd be compelled to purchase a less versatile bike (than say, a Kona cross country bike) at a higher price with the promise of increased risk of an accident. The other main problem I have with this bike is the wheel size. Obviously this part is critical to the design, but does it not contribute to a bumpier ride? I like being able to ride over cobblestone without getting shaken down for my lunch money. Also being able to ride up onto curbs is something I probably take for granted.

I think the design is pretty cool, and the reduced size of the bike (it's main selling point I'm sure) could very useful in certain situations - but personally I don't see it as enough of an improvement on my current bike (or most bikes in the same price range) to justify the purchase.

"decreased" risk of an accident?

Standing up while cycling makes your calves work really hard. A hour or two on one of these would make even a regular cyclist ache for a week, so a seat is probably essential for any practical purpose. The riding experience looks novel, that is probably it's main appeal.

Stand up on your bike then and peddle. Bam saved you $1000.

Plus whatever additional money you make peddling. (peddle: to travel about selling wares, pedal: to ride a bicycle.)

$1,000 though?

Edit: Wow, I totally missed that I could scroll down the page. D'oh! Also, it really doesn't look like there's anything electric about it, which I think is pretty impressive.

This way it will become just another hip mobility product for the hip upper class. But there are customers for that now. They'll survive.

I prefer the seat on my bike.

There is a backer on KickStarter who has pledged $7,000. So there is a market for a $1,000 bike after all!

Kickstarter Goal: $80,000, funding hit: $81,769.

1 $7,000 pledge with a "trip to meet the team" reward.

Hmmmm..

There is a market for a $4,000 bike, but what's interesting is that there's a market for paying $1,000 for half of a $200 bike. ;)

Basically, you can get a lot more bike for $1,000. If I'd asked for something like this growing up, my grandfather would have used it as an opportunity to show me how to use tools and pick through a junk yard.

I also didn't realize I could scroll down and was thinking, this site kind of sucks. It doesn't help that the middle wheel click is broken.

I feel like from that sort of slightly bent standing position hills would be a nightmare to go up. I can already feel the burn.

For the shortest commutes this design could be a winner. Greater range than the Razor scooters, but smaller than a bike.

At least in the Pacific Northwest, add fenders, and urban buyers will appear.

I'm sorry, but these look absolutely ridiculous. In the last video around 1:16 showing the two guys riding these things down the track, I actually laughed out loud. I guess the riding experience of these things is supposed to be a selling point?

I kinda like it, and I don't get all the negative comments. I've been a user of folding bikes for a couple of years and, while easier to store/get into buildings with/carry around, they are still quite heavy, tricky to fold, and bulky.

Strida nailed that a few years ago, even if they are not as efficient as a proper bike (while some folding bikes are). This halfbike would probably be ok (if cheaper) for shorter rides and for rides that requires walking every now and then or indoor rides.

My daughter has something like this. We call it the big wheel.

A-bikes are cheaper and already exist, fold up smaller and let you sit down. I've never actually ridden one, but they seem to fill a similar space.

http://www.a-bike.net/

Mind you, if you're not in the UK you'll have to pay for shipping.

There are numerous fold-bike manufacturers; they are quite common in Japan, I hear.

(See Dahon for another example: it retails for ~$320 I believe. http://dahon.com/mainnav/foldingbikes/single-view/bike/board...)

And for $1800 you can buy an electric self-balancing unicycle (essentially Segway with one wheel and no handlebar).

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007Q3FZYK

I don't think I'll ever get an electric self-balancing unicycle, but if I did at least I would probably be satisfied that $1800 worth of work went into it.

This "halfcycle" doesn't look like nearly that much effort was spent on it.

Just watching these being ridden makes my lower back feel sore.

Also, with the single, vertical handle-bar... that seems weird. How easy is it to drive with one hand?Why not just have an optional seat post.

...the single, vertical handle-bar...

That dude on the track is clutching it in a vaguely obscene way. Fortunately the handlebars in the video are horizontal.

I'd love to try one. I've had California Chariots and RipSticks and Turtles and a bunch of other things like this. Looks weird, but could be fun. Won't know until I try.

Price seems a tad high, especially if it is only half of a real bike. I'd pay $500 for one of these, just think the price point is a tad off for what it is.

Just a note for some people who live in really hilly areas (I live in a hilly part of San Diego; I hear there are other hilly cities with significant HN readership): "Riding uphill is alright as long as it is a gentle slope. Halfbike isn’t really made for steep hills so if it gets too steep you may have to push."

I'd love to try one, especially with the size and weight it looks like a nice way to get around in a city, at least for the "last mile" from and to public transport.

However unless you are using it for fun, any trip longer than 5-10min is probably more convenient on an actual bicycle and the price is way too high.

As a daily bike commuter of 10 miles including some cobblestone streets this looks completely unusable for regular commuting, but kind of fun for some casual weekend biking in the park.

But $1,000 is a lot of money for such casual use, maybe this can find the same market that Segway has found, renting to tourists.

Set dork level to stun.

So... the advantage is that it's slightly smaller than a regular bike, for storage? I can't see any reason to have one of these if you have room for an actual bike. Unless it's supposed to be a fashion statement of some sort. Presumably I'm not the target audience.

Interesting variation on the scooter/tricycle. I agree with most folks that riding a bike standing on the pedals is the least comfortable for me, but the handlebars are quite low at that point. Designing something to be ridden while standing is an interesting twist.

a.k.a. standing tricycle

I thought this might be some kind of gyroscopic unicycle or something along those lines. But it really just seems like a glorified tricycle.

Also I contend that the people in the video look like dorks on them. But to each his own.

So... if you brake hard you're definitely going to land on your face, right?

I don't think so, it looks like the brakes are on the two back tires.

Even then... you'll probably go face flat unless you pull back hard.

So then, you brake really hard and nothing happens at all

I think they might have missed the "Segway lesson". It doesn't matter how innovative the idea is, if people look or feel silly riding it, you fail.

I think the fact that you're actually physically exerting yourself makes up for a lot of that. It may look a bit silly, but it's still more likely to garner interest and respect than derision (unless people know how much you paid for it maybe!) With a Segway on the other hand, the silly look just gives the impression that you'll do anything to avoid having to actually use your muscles to propel yourself around.

Do you think Segway failed because people look silly riding it, or because they feel silly for spending so much on it?

Inspired by http://www.elliptigo.com/, perhaps?

Why does their logo depict a full-bike?

ugh, grip area of handlebars are so narrowly placed to the point of dangerous. wider bars is safer, more controllable.

even more revolutionary than the segway!

It is kind of analogous to the segway ;)

At least it's less ridiculous than a recumbent.

b^)

A hero slider with gigantic images, where by the time the image loads, it's ready to scroll to the next blank gray area while another gigantic image loads. No text at all. Ouch what a horrible website. And, it's not a half-bike, it's a tricycle... for adults, apparently.

After the first time you view all eleventy-nine images, they are preloaded. ;)

It would have been better to show the first one for longer, so the rest could have been preloaded the first time through.

You forgot no indication that anything is loading. (At least for me.) So I get a blank black screen with some navigation scattered around for a few seconds, then a picture flashes on the screen, then back to black.

I get it that hipsters attract a lot of hate, but a tricycle that you can only pedal standing up is a rather cruel punishment.

Attach a desk and it becomes a productivity mobility platform.

I fail to understand how posts like these even make it up here.

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