Toyota comissions a Prius bike
July 1, 2011 by Katie Gatto 
(PhysOrg.com) -- The Toyota Prius is coming up on its 10-year anniversary and in order to celebrate the company has chosen an unusual route; they have commissioned the creation of a bicycle. The bike, which is being created by the Parlee Cycles company, is designed to work with the Prius design principles of environmentally sustainability. This is a solid match, since both of the companies are known for working on sustainable design and transportation technology.
The commissioned bicycle is designed to be state-of the art and ultra efficient. While the basics of bicycle design have not changed much over the years, the team has gone to great lengths to examine the types of places that the bike may be used, including both jam packed cities and long touring runs, in order to create what the company called the "Areo Road Bike".
The bike frame is made with lightweight and seamless carbon fiber tubing that is designed to be aerodynamic. While carbon fiber is not recyclable the company has been able to make it wasteless by using all of the raw materials in the bikes construction. The materials are then covered in a resin layer to enhance its strength, and make it visually appealing.
The bike is currently still in development, and the rest of the potential enhancements are not know at this time, since the design team is keeping most of the details a secret. Parties that are interested in finding out more about the construction of the bike can check out John Watson’s blog, Prolly is Not Probably, for future updates.
More information: http://www.toyotap … ts.com/#/011 and http://prollyisnotprobably.com/2011/06/the_toyota_prius_projects_conc_9.php
© 2010 PhysOrg.com
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Jul 01, 2011
Rank: 4.8 / 5 (5)
Jul 01, 2011
Rank: 1 / 5 (3)
But if Parlee Cycles did spin-off (pun intended) commercial bikes from this endeavor, I'd be tempted to buy one.
BTW, I don't think the bike is intended to be electrically powered. The only hint that it may be electric is in calling it 'efficient'... but that again can be interpreted many ways.
Jul 01, 2011
Rank: 1 / 5 (3)
Jul 01, 2011
Rank: 4 / 5 (2)
I see these Chinese food delivery men on cheap Chinese electric bikes everywhere. Technically, they're illegal, but the cops don't bother them. They ride them in bike lanes with total impunity, and could kill a pedestrian stepping into the bike lane. Anyway, the point of being on a bike is exercise, and as far as I'm concerned, electric is cheating.
Jul 01, 2011
Rank: 1 / 5 (3)
BTW, why are they illegal? (curiosity)
Jul 01, 2011
Rank: 2.8 / 5 (4)
This is a serious problem. Not a problem with the bike themselves, but the users (as a general rule: people are stupid).
Jul 01, 2011
Rank: 4 / 5 (2)
I know a bicycle advocate who has carried 1,000 pounds, literally, on a platform tricycle that he made for moving. He carried heavy machinery, office filing cabinets, you name it , to defy the assumption that you need a car or truck. Of course, his commitment to human-powered vehicles is unusual, but he's proved his point. Remember the Vietcong on the Ho Chi Minh Trail? They carried 400 lbs. of supplies on two wheelers up and down rugged mountains while the U.S. bombed them. It was the versatility and stealthiness of bicycles that contributed to their victory. In answer to your question about legality, the electric bike is a motor vehicle that must be registered as such, like a motorcycle. It takes stamina and extreme cognizance of the dangers of the road, but the experience, as you know, is unbeatable.
Jul 01, 2011
Rank: 2 / 5 (1)
http://gothamist....hase.php
Actually though motorbikes and mopeds have been around for decades. People adjust.
Jul 01, 2011
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http://www.whizze...ike.com/
Jul 01, 2011
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Jul 01, 2011
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Jul 02, 2011
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Jul 02, 2011
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Jul 02, 2011
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Jul 02, 2011
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I'm fortunate enough to live in a town whose people endorse 'green-ness'. We've reclaimed old unused rail lines to create great paved bike paths, now many miles in length. My daily 10 miles of e-biking includes perhaps 8 miles of such 'Rail-Trails', as we call them. I can easily get to several other towns in this fashion: Northampton to Amherst is not only famous for 5 nationally-ranked colleges but also for ease of biking nearly the entire 7 mi. distance. The sanity of biking, especially electric biking, is evident to whomever i happen to chat with.. and scarcely a day goes by without several people being impressed with it all.
Jul 05, 2011
Rank: 5 / 5 (1)
Fact: I (and any competent cyclist on a non-cruiser bike) can, and do, beat or match anyone in a car regarding acceleration speed on a bike for the first 50 ft. or up to 15-20 mph or so, unless that person in the car is stepping on it and trying to accelerate overly quickly (like say during rush hour). Mayday, you are flat out wrong about your assumptions. It's only top-speed that's appreciably different.
What looks like hostility to me is people shouting at you to "get off the road", or flipping you off, or swerving into your lane dangerously close infront of you, or opening a door to "scare" you, or spitting at you, or throwing a bagel or soft drink at you because you're on a bike (all things that have happened to me and/or my friends who ride). And my town too is considered "bike-friendly"...