On my eighth birthday my parents gave me a brand new
Sears Roebuck bicycle. It was a
single speed (I didn’t get a cool banana seated three speed until my eleventh
birthday) and fire engine red. I loved that bike; I rode it everywhere.
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| Courtesy Google Images |
In the early 1970s, there was a gas shortage so people purchased mopeds, small motorized scooters that had pedals.
The operator would start pedaling then a motor would kick in. They were useful
because you only needed a valid state driver’s license to operate one and
they were much faster than walking.
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| Courtesy Google Images |
The next generation of motorized bicycles is
just around the corner. In 2013, Korean auto parts maker, Mando, will roll out a chainless hybrid bicycle called Footloose.
According to DVICE.com, Footloose is a folding electric bike
that turns human pedaling power into energy to be stored in the bike’s
lithium-ion battery. The bike can travel up to 18.6 miles on electricity alone.
It has a control unit that monitors the vehicle’s speed and automatically
adjusts its energy output.
I was never a big fan of the moped. It was bulky and
seemed to lack a whole lot of mobility. On the other hand, the Footloose appears to handle like a
regular street bicycle. Depending on cost, I could envision owning one.
Does this make anyone feel like going for a weekend
bike ride?
