trick trike

This was another one of those ideas where I initially said, "...dumb", but I've rethought it. After all, if a bike isn't fun, what's the point?

It's a trike, with a 3:1 crank/hub gearing, and two small wheels in the back. The gearing means that you don't have to spin the pedals like a cartoon character to get that front wheel turning at a reasonable speed. The whole cranks-and-front-wheel assembly can turn.

Note the rider's right hand on what appears to be a handle by that tiny back wheel. Here's a better look:

Steerer on the right, red-handled wheel lock (for standard tricycle action) on the left. From the original article on Gizmag:

"We wanted the ONDA to be extremely agile so we used caster wheels, like you'd find on a grocery cart, for the back two wheels," Tyler Hadzicki told Gizmag. "The real break-through was attaching a handle to one of the swivel wheels so that it could be controlled independently of the front wheel. Moving the handle precisely moves the back half of the bike. Push hard enough and you'll go into a spin."... The steering mechanism was patented in September 2011, and followed a year later with another broader patent that's an extension of the first. When the rear wheels are locked in forward position, the ONDA trike is steered like any other three-wheeler... by turning the front wheel using the anodized aluminum handlebars. Releasing the wheel lock on the left gives the rider control of both back swivel wheels using the handle to the right.

With the ability to turn both front and rear wheels, riders can do drifts and precision turns.

The small rear wheels mean you need near-perfect pavement; I think they're eventually going to need to move to larger rear wheels, but there will be a trade-off between the size of the wheels and the ease with which they can be controlled. I don't think I have the balance to put one of these through its paces, but they do look like wicked fun, under the right circumstances.

There is, of course, a Kickstarter page.

Go check out the original article, with video. And, of course, thanks to Dave C. who forwards me the Gizmag email, I could get it myself, but then how would I know what's happening with Dave?