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FRIEZE NEW YORK 2013...or not fun (again?), depending on how much more you like one activity over the other.
That's right, St. Paul's Caztek Engineering has combined (at least) two good ideas into a single, arguably less sensible one: the City Cycle is a mobile pub and a people-powered bus. It's unclear as to whether the idea of a combination bus+bar or a bus+bike came first, but either way, Caztek has arrived at a vehicle that involves "bicycling while seated at a bar-rail perpendicular to the direction of travel."
You can bet your compound drivetrain that we have video and documentation:
If the City Cycle seems a bit ill-suited for the Twin Cities—which boast a strong cycling culture despite brutal winters—the appropriately slow-moving inebriation / transportation hybrid was actually designed for City Cycle Tours, LLC, of St. Petersburg, Florida. Similarly, president and project lead Casimir Sienkiewicz of Caztek acknowledges both his debt to their European predecessors and the practical issue of cycling under the influence:
Rhett Reynolds of City Cycle Tours provided us with the uncommon opportunity to do a ground-up, design-and-build project. Similar contraptions are quite popular in Europe where they operate as group events, even allowing the consumption of beer for the pedalers. Of course, the driver, who is in complete control of the vehicle, is an employee of the rental company and is not allowed to consume alcohol.
While I have my doubts about whether it's a particularly efficient mode of transportation, it's definitely a "party on wheels": "Additional City Cycle features include in-floor coolers, ample storage, purse hooks, cup holders, LED lighting, a six-speaker sound system and built-in keg storage."
I also like that its name implies that "City" somehow equals "Drinking."
As for the actual innovation behind the design, the City Cycle was initially modeled in 3D CAD (SolidWorks), with a focus on user experience, "the goal being to not only comfortably accommodate many body types while efficiently powering the vehicle but climbing on and off safely, being able to socialize and enjoy the ride." A full, 4-link coil suspension ensures minimal spillage.
And what good would the dedicated website be if Caztek didn't provide the requisite series of making-of photos?
Comments
this, or something similar to it has been around for a while, the canopy is a valuable improvement I expect. You can often see these, or a more basic version, being pedalled around west london by small groups of australians, presumably you can hire one by the hour?
Sep, having those for Years in Germany. I guess everything Major City has a subsidary of the Company offering those Bikes. It was Fun in the beginning, but if you live in the City and there is a Bike comming along every Hour, it getschilpt really really annoying.
same thing is on the streets in munich
the beer bike
http://www.bierbike-muenchen.de/uploads/RTEmagicC_bb_uebersicht.jpg.jpg
They have had these in Amsterdam for years. I was on a stag do in London just before Xmas and was on one in blizzard conditions, a canopy may have made it somewhat more comfortable and less likely for a passer by to take a photo http://twitpic.com/3hew9o (don't worry we were in fancy dress)
yep, has been around for long in the Netherlands too. I agree with the other commenters... funny, but gets annoying quiet quickly.
Wow! Looks like you guys are ripping off the Pedal Pub.
Thank you for all of the comments. For the record, both designer Casimir Sienkiewicz and I (and I'm sure everyone who was involved in the project) acknowledge that "similar contraptions are quite popular in Europe." I even included a link to the original Beer Bike (dot co dot uk).
Moreover, we posted about the European version (PedalPub) over a year and a half ago: http://www.core77.com/blog/object_culture/cargo_bikes_part_2_14536.asp
However, this is (to my knowledge) the first time a combination bicycle+pub has been introduced in the U.S.; perhaps I should have indicated that in the title of the post. (At least I didn't claim it was "possibly the most high-tech bike ever" this time around...)
If we live in St. Paul, when/where/how can we rent? I'm/we're ready!
Kevin, you can book it here: http://www.thecitycycle.com/