A New Zealand company is combining two twentieth century technologies to provide a solution to this century's transportation problems. The company is touting what it calls "Shweeb' monorail technology, the prototype for which is fully operational in the country's north.
It's economical, ecological and good exercise… this is Shweeb racing.
Shweeb is human powered monorail technology and could soon become a new mode of transport in cities.
Shweeb is a mixture of monorail and recumbent cycle technology.
[Geoffrey Barnett, Shweeb Inventor]:
"To me as a cyclist, it's just obvious, you should be able to ride over the top of the traffic… so I came up with the idea of a weather proof capsule that is completely safe."
Barnett sees overhead pedal power as a means of solving inner city problems of congestion and pollution caused by cars.
Barnett worked on the design for six years, and in November 2007 opened his first track in Rotorua.
[Geoffrey Barnett, Shweeb Inventor]:
"You jump on, you sit on the recumbent seat, it's very comfortable. It's like sitting at home on your sofa. You can get up to speed of up to 50 kilometers per hour just on this track, which is a very small track. In its present form this will get to about 60-70 kilometers per hour on a flat track, it's got seven gears to play with and it's a lot faster than any other bicycle."
He says his invention is unique.
[Geoffrey Barnett, Shweeb Inventor]:
"No one has done anything like this, you get to race against your friends, it's pretty exciting, it's got the element of competition and the thrills of the high speed, so there's nothing else like it."
And curious visitors are enjoying the ride.
"It's awesome, fantastic yeah, a little bit tired, yeah it's good when you're playing with your boyfriend, kind of a race, good."
"It's really amazing, so exciting but my leg is so sore, I'm so tired."
The word "Shweeb" is derived from the German "schweben" which means "to float" or "suspend."
It's economical, ecological and good exercise… this is Shweeb racing.
Shweeb is human powered monorail technology and could soon become a new mode of transport in cities.
Shweeb is a mixture of monorail and recumbent cycle technology.
[Geoffrey Barnett, Shweeb Inventor]:
"To me as a cyclist, it's just obvious, you should be able to ride over the top of the traffic… so I came up with the idea of a weather proof capsule that is completely safe."
Barnett sees overhead pedal power as a means of solving inner city problems of congestion and pollution caused by cars.
Barnett worked on the design for six years, and in November 2007 opened his first track in Rotorua.
[Geoffrey Barnett, Shweeb Inventor]:
"You jump on, you sit on the recumbent seat, it's very comfortable. It's like sitting at home on your sofa. You can get up to speed of up to 50 kilometers per hour just on this track, which is a very small track. In its present form this will get to about 60-70 kilometers per hour on a flat track, it's got seven gears to play with and it's a lot faster than any other bicycle."
He says his invention is unique.
[Geoffrey Barnett, Shweeb Inventor]:
"No one has done anything like this, you get to race against your friends, it's pretty exciting, it's got the element of competition and the thrills of the high speed, so there's nothing else like it."
And curious visitors are enjoying the ride.
"It's awesome, fantastic yeah, a little bit tired, yeah it's good when you're playing with your boyfriend, kind of a race, good."
"It's really amazing, so exciting but my leg is so sore, I'm so tired."
The word "Shweeb" is derived from the German "schweben" which means "to float" or "suspend."
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Tech