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Bikes Are No Longer Boring
Really, Bicycles are no longer just those pedal-some buddies that you use muscle power on, They are primped with other awesome stuff. We recently gave you a list of Folding Bikes, then we refreshed it with the Ever-so-folding bike; and now I have another bike only this one boasts of Solar Power! The Solar Man is folding-solar bike that weighs a handsome 12 kgs. Pedal-power is supplemented with the goodness of the sunrays, so if you’re not in the mood of burning some calories or just plain lazy, harness the sun energy and get going!
Designer: Chen Weiping
16 Comments »
Migo says
I don’t see how it uses solar power unless all it does is charge up a small digital calculator. If the designer has any idea of how solar power is harnessed, then he/she would know that they’d have to leave this bike in direct sunlight for a week in order to get more than a kilometer out of it.
Ergonomically, it does not take women into consideration at all. There is no way that a woman wearing a skirt can wear this. And you can’t simply say that women shouldn’t be wearing skirts.
The seat isn’t height adjustable, and it does not fold down compact enough to be practical for the people who are interested in folding bikes.
When designing a new product, be sure that there aren’t already existing products that are better. Just having a different design does not mean it is good. As designers, we cannot just keep producing new things without thinking, because if we do, then we are just adding to pollution by creating products that waste energy and materials.
Radhika Seth says
I totally agree with your deductions that a woman will find this design very uncomfortble. Me being a woman should have relized this in the first place….however some compenstaion that we ususlly end up wearing pants, jeans or trousers while riding a bike.
Moreover kudos for your excellent deductions. Hopefully these points will help others while designing bikes.
max von shnitzel says
agreed on ALL fronts. well said mate.
getor says
Sorry – but I have seen this design concept umpteenth times since the ‘mini-bikes’ emerged in the late 60-ies. Maybe a conceptual interesting idea for the city slickers, but honestly – it does not fill the basic bike function; ridability [did I invent a word here?] and style. An uneven manhole and you’d guarantee topple over on those tiny wheels; the seat is horrible, and what about material stress in welding points? It looks fun but a mass market design? Nope, don’t think so. Besides there are something similar here on the streets in Taiwan, looks cool but are uncool to ride….. for whatever it is worth, and I did not even mention the girls skirts
Henrique Staino says
Tiny wheels? Have you seen the A-bike?
This design isn’t good, but not cause of the size of the wheels..
Migo says
Yeah, the wheels aren’t the issue. If toppling over is a concern, it’s the extremely short wheelbase that will trigger that.
Larry Lagarde says
This is pretty silly – a Strida style frame that doesn’t fold. The Solar Man’s “folded” dimensions would be much larger than a Strida; yet, have similar handling characteristics. And that solar panel is so ridiculously small – would it even power an i-Pod??? Pass.
Carlos says
Come on, get yourself a Strida.
Tom says
useless design
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