YikeBIke introducing a modern Penny Farthing-style electric bike

Posted by Andrey Malskiy Categories: Misc. Tech, Transportation

We all remember the Penny Farthing bikes, right? They featured one oversized wheel and no pedals. Whether you saw it in an old British flick or in a book, we never thought that the style would make a comeback. We were wrong. YikeBike, a small company across the pond, is aiming resurrect the Penny Farthing bicycle.

Once you get past its odd look and the slight discomfort of the seat, you may actually fall in love with one of these. There's certainly some good to like about the YikeBike. It’s sleek, slim, and when folded up is about the size of a suitcase. Furthermore, for those that travel into the city by bus or train, you can use a TikeBike once you leave public transportation to get to your destination. All that said, there are a few things we definitely don't like about this thing. The YikeBike is an electric-powered bicycle which uses break regeneration to slow itself down when you let off the gas. So you can never completely come to a stop, unless you bail out. The price of the YikeBike may also leave you screaming, as it's priced at $3,800 for the carbon fiber model, and $2,000 for the aluminum version.

Translogic's Bradley Hasemeyer skimmed across the pond to try the YikeBike for himself, check out his test ride after the jump!