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The Kaiteki – the future of bicycles?

April 9th, 2009 by James

Fuji TV rides around on “THE-KAITEKI”, a futuristic bicycle designed by Mitsubishi:


The bike’s body is made from a strong lightweight plastic and it has an electric motor that can take over when the cyclist needs some help. The battery can be recharged via solar panels or a docking station.

The second vehicle shown in the clip is a special electric bicycle/wheelchair hybrid aimed at elderly consumers. It is being developed by Yamaha and Nikko City and has safety features such as a brake that automatically stops the bike if it is rolling down a hill.

The last vehicle shown in the clip is GM’s experimental Segway vehicle. The news anchor seems to doubt GM’s claims about the vehicle’s safety.

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12 Comments »

Comment by Matt
2009-04-09 10:41:25

Designed by engineers who never did bicycle. You don’t need solar system and so on, a good bicycle should as light weighted as possible.

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Comment by doodles
2009-04-09 11:59:44

This is the most retarded crap I’ve seen in awhile. When will the Japanese learn…they can’t invent anything from scratch! Only build on a concept already created abroad?
God this is hideous. Make a light weight foldable bike with some kind of safety visor and we’ll talk

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Comment by Brian
2009-04-09 12:03:19

As someone who often rode bicycles in the rain and tried everything from umbrellas to bigger umbrellas (ever ~sailed~ your bike?) to raincoats & pants… your lower feet inevitably get wet and your socks are soaked for the rest of the day. I’d love to have one of these if it weren’t for the inevitable ¥200,000+ price tag.

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Comment by シェイコラ
2009-04-09 15:51:53

I love how she slags off the PUMA without really knowing anything. “They say it’s safe, but I don’t know about that…”

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Comment by hl
2009-04-10 02:32:27

The segway looked way more stable than whatever the first bike was.

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Comment by Maxim
2009-04-09 16:08:03

They should stabilize the front wheel (maybe put in 2 front wheels) and make the top removable.

Or just build a bicycle with a more comfortable seat.

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Comment by AJ
2009-04-09 18:53:48

“they can’t invent anything”
The Economist begs to differ: http://tinyurl.com/dhtx2s
But hey, what do they know . . .

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Comment by Cailin Coilleach
2009-04-10 00:44:45

Man, that guy can’t steer straight worth his life. Either that, or it’s down to the bike’s design :)

They could’ve improved the bike a lot by either taking an existing design. Instead of sitting like you’re on a chair they should’ve taken the entire upright position of a normal bike, or the laid back position of a lie-down bike.

Some of features look nice though: the bright LED lighting, the electronic assist, the double rear wheels…

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Comment by sdasdasda
2009-04-10 02:01:12

Maybe he was having fun with it? I wonder can you fell down if you make tight enough turn.

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Comment by Mark
2009-04-10 05:32:06

They all look like the fastest way to go under the wheels of a truck.

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Comment by Haf
2009-04-10 18:14:39

I don’t think we’ll see many of those out in the streets…

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Comment by samuel
2009-04-13 07:33:51

looks like “olddudecar”.

http://www.midulsterauctions.com/IMAGES/64_001.jpg

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