Homemade amphibious bike made from water bottles by Li Jin from China.
Eight giant water bottles serve as pontoons and the back wheel fitted with paddles propels the bicycle forward.
Also check out: Running Shoes Bicycle
Bicycle Rides on Water
March 20th, 2010 | Tech |
Dug
They already have these. you can rent them at most parks with some sort of body of water…we’ve been renting these as long as I’ve been alive.
Mar 20th, 2010
adirere
interesting
Mar 20th, 2010
Critical Eye
As an example of good design… not so much. But as an example of ingenuity… sure! Looks like a fun do-it-yourself project.
Mar 21st, 2010
ajayjshah
@Critical Eye, I couldn’t agree more. Right on point with my thoughts.
Mar 21st, 2010
MAD
This is DIY at its best. It answers the two important questions, “how can we make it float?” and “how can we make it move?”, while keeping it simple.
Mar 21st, 2010
john
not new things!
Mar 21st, 2010
Karin L.
My bike would RUST!!!
Mar 21st, 2010
Rob
And in a few days the bike and chain will be completely rusted.
Mar 21st, 2010
AG
That there are floating bikes out there isn’t the point. This is capable of going on both land and water which makes it very neat.
However it does sacrifice some of the finer qualities of a bike. I wonder if the designer thought of deflatable buoys so that when they are placed in an upright position, biking on land won’t be as awkward to manage.
Mar 21st, 2010
Mask
nice DIY project, yes, but how do you steer this? i see no rudder.
Mar 21st, 2010
Nimish
@Mask Exactly! If the propulsion is using the backwheel and you can at best turn the front wheel a bit without losing balance, I doubt you can steer this.
But anyway it will be fun to ride one of these! :-)
Mar 22nd, 2010
RL Creative
Very interesting concept :) Maybe, if some company will take the concept and develop it to look better, then one day it becomes popular.
Mar 22nd, 2010
sebastian
Totally DIY
Mar 22nd, 2010
Chris
@Mask, it appears to be easily steered…. @Nimish I don’t think you would lose balance when steering as the water bottles/ flotation devices are quite large and well balanced so therefore similarly how you steer the bicycle on land, you would steer in water without difficulty. What would happen is that whenever you turn the handlebar, while pedaling the back wheel will propel the vessel in the direction the front floaters are facing. It doesn’t have to rust either, just apply enough oil based lubricant to the chain, gear block and sprocket frequently and probably spray paint the frame with a marine primer/ acrylic paint. Also I think it is a good design concept… practical. Might not be very attractive but it gets the job done, and when your on land you simply lift the floaters as there hinges to allow this. Only thing I would probably change is the attachment to the frame should be removable instead of welded to the frame. Probably use some bolts and nuts.
Oct 22nd, 2014