So much for the old bicycle!

It looks like the bicycles of the future will be rather different from those of today, if two far-out designs make it into production.

First we have a design by Olympic cyclist Chris Boardman.

The 40-year-old said the technology was already available, it just needed the will to put it all together.

The new bike, which would cost around £2,000 [about US $3,232], includes an inbuilt computer system incorporating an 'unbreakable' locking device that allows only the owner to open it via fingerprint recognition.

A mini computer on the handlebars counts the calories the cyclist is burning by monitoring each turn of the pedals.

Spoke-less wheels make the bike more aerodynamic while the tyres will be puncture-proof with self-inflating tyres.




'The tyre (and rim) rotate around the doughnut shape which is fixed, a bit like having a bangle on your wrist - it can spin on your wrist without your wrist turning,' Mr Boardman explained.

Owners of the bike, which is still being designed, won't even always have to pedal - a battery-assisted motor run by solar panels takes over if they get tired.

Plus the frame is made of carbon fibre, making the bike strong and lightweight.

Boardman, who led a research team for British Cycling in the run-up to the Beijing Olympics, said the bike would not be 'financially feasible' for 20 years.

However, the 1992 Olympic gold medalist for the four-kilometre pursuit added: 'It could be built now if there was a will. All the technologies are already there, it's just that nobody's put them all together before.'

There's more at the link.

Not to be outdone, New Zealanders Grant Ryan and Peter Higgins have taken their inspiration from the old penny-farthing bicycle:




to come up with what they call the 'YikeBike'.

It might look like a collision between a praying mantis and a child's scooter, but it's the result of five years of work to reinvent the wheel, with one important addition: an electric motor.

It's a bicycle, but not as we have come to know it. For a start, you sit upright and steer with your hands at your side.

Your feet remain static on the folding footrests and your fingers work the controls, principally an accelerator and a brake.




The seating arrangement and dimensions mean you don't so much ride it as wear it. Crucially, you can fold it into a bag and carry the whole 22lb package anywhere.

True, it takes a little while to get used to riding it, especially if you've been raised on the kind of configuration that has so far proved perfectly adequate for everyone from Miss Marple to Sir Chris Hoy.

But there's one word which summarises the sensation of blatting along so quickly and so effortlessly on this rather clever piece of engineering: Yikes!

Traditional cyclists move cautiously to one side as I approach. One of the Lycra brigade gives a snooty look as he whizzes past on his racing bike, but I can't help noticing he's sweating a lot.

I'm wearing a linen suit and I'm perfectly relaxed.

Meanwhile everyone - from children to City gents - stands and looks in wonder as I float by.

You can't really blame them. Viewed head on, it looks as if the rider is running without moving his legs.

Then they notice the noise. The 1.2 kilowatt [just over 1½ horsepower] motor sounds a little like a miniature milk float when you take off but changes to a satisfying, muted whoosh once it picks up.

Again, there's more at the link.

Both ideas look pretty nifty - and I like the idea of being wafted around by a small electric motor! I hope we see these on the road sometime soon.

Peter