Trailcart, a pedal-powered four-wheel-drive vehicle
Click above for more images of the Trailcart
While one could argue that there is nothing inherently wrong with a plain old off-road capable mountain bike and its two large wheels, we still think that the pedal-powered four-wheel-drive vehicle seen above is pretty cool. Called the Trailcart, its German makers claim that it is the first of its kind. Using an eight-speed Shimano Nexus gearing system, the Trailcart seems like a fun way to burn some calories while enjoying the outdoors. We can't really see something like this working in a singletrack environment, but on Jeep trails or fire roads, plenty of noise-free fun could be had. It could be that the Trailcart would get people outdoors and exercising who wouldn't otherwise be able.
According to TreeHugger, some big names have picked up on the idea, including Land Rover which is testing the vehicles on its own off-road courses and is said to be considering using the four-wheeler on a leg of its Adventure Tour 2008 in Malaysia.
Gallery: Trailcart
[Source: TreeHugger]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Andy 5:51PM (6/03/2008)
Heavier, bulkier, less maneuverable, more expensive, and you can't use your feet. So why is this better than a mountain bike?
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Dan 7:49PM (6/03/2008)
The fat tires won't sink into soft, sandy surfaces like a mountain bike would, but the rolling resistance on sand would be so high, I can't imagine it's much faster than walking.
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Joe 12:01AM (6/04/2008)
This is the kind of thing you design in a senior mechanical engineering lab, but don't ever actually build because nobody would actually buy one.
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Jay 12:28AM (6/04/2008)
Aargh! I'm a cranky blog reader and I don't like it when people post creative if somewhat impractical human powered fun machines! I'll stick to my $2000 mountain bike! Grrrr...
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Das Boese 3:53AM (6/04/2008)
That reminds me of when I was a kid... one of my friends had a car, kinda like a pedal-powered sandrail that his dad built for him from scraps. Even had 2 sets of pedals (2WD though), and everyone wanted to ride in it, and boy was it fun!
So yeah, I can see the potential of this.
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Mattias 5:51AM (6/04/2008)
Cool, an off-road Kettcar for adults!
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john riley 6:24AM (6/04/2008)
I think this one would roll better:
http://www.quadbikexcycles.com/
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EvenSteven 9:41AM (6/04/2008)
seems like going up hill would be very difficult. This is best for a crushed limestone rail trail. How is this different than those sitdown bikes the old dudes ride.
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