It looks like the bicycle out of the Flintstones but two German designers believe “the Fliz” is the future of biking. I have my doubts.
The name comes from “flitzen,” or to whiz or dash.
It has no pedals or seat. You just strap yourself into a harness and run like a giant skateboard — just more uncomfortable.
The bike was entered into the competition for the annual James Dyson Award, where students are asked to “design something that solves a problem.” The question is what problem is solved by the Fliz. What do you think?
A German bike with no sprockets?? How counter-cultural:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9p5ey_sprockets-germany-s-most-disturbing_shortfilms
solves the problem of having nothing to hold onto while you are running.
I’m seeing less training wheels and more small bikes akin to this. Young bikers have low riding bikes w/ no pedals. It teaches balance much better than training wheels.
put four wheels on it, modify it somewhat and use it for people with limited mobility.
they may not have a winner on this one, but people like that will hit on something that will work.
I’d like to see an indication of what problem this solves. I’d also like to see the bike without the rider. Not a likely winner.
The harness was copied from a design by Torquemada.
If one rides this bike over one hundred miles, a male may qualify to sing soprano…… or to guard harems.
Onlooker,
Regarding The Onion. They are probably struggling to come up with material, since real life this silly season of politics has outstripped both satire and irony. What do their scriptwriters have left? What could the Onion do with the likes of Todd Akin or Michele Bachmann they have not done themselves? Then there is Mitt Romney, who is a walking, talking SNL skit.
They also named it poorly.
The “Devastating Yellow Life Threatening Wedgie Machine” is certainly more accurate.
id707,
He’s hanging in a harness. To me though, that’s not even the worst part of the design. Aside from the lack of peddles – which renders it ridiculous to begin with – it is the “collar” that he has to stick his head though. Any collision at speed in this thing is going to break his collar bone and possibly his neck. This thing is a terrible design all the way around. It reeks of artists playing at being engineers (and not being very good at either).
Mespo.
“Maybe efficient bicycling is the problem?”
Pedestrians of Stockholm have awarded you the Golden Shoe of the year for recognition of their problem crossing bike lanes.
While watching for cars you get 6 weeks in the hospital from a crash with a biker.
What keeps him in place? Nothing suppporting the feet. The arms won’t in their position. His butt hangs in the air. ????
That sounds like something out of The Onion. Absurd comes to mind.
Some things simply don’t need to be redesigned or “re-imagined”.
They work just fine the way they are.
The modern bicycle is one of those items.
They have no chance of winning.
Unless, of course with this being the James Dyson competition, one of the criteria is “suckiness”.
Time, space differential….. And probably that they may be shorted out on the bierfest as shortages are predicted…..
Or it could be the new gop vehicle to stimulate the economy…..
This is only good for downhill. My johnson hurts just thinking about trying to climb anything with a steep grade.
Doesn’t look like the concept has served any ultimate purpose.
The question is what problem is solved by the Fliz. What do you think?
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Maybe efficient bicycling is the problem?
I want to see it go uphill.
What a flop in innovation, from Germany ?? Hard to believe, well so is the Euro.
Sure glad there were no traffic on the that road.
The question is what problem is solved by the Fliz. What do you think?
Overproduction of sperm?