Riding around town in the Sidekick, a homebrew pedal hybrid
Funny how the Internet operates. Treehugger wrote about the Trailcart, and then we and BoingBoing did as well. A BoingBoing reader thinks, hey, that's kind of like what my husband built, and mentions it in the comments. So then Treehugger writes about that homemade pedal/electric hybrid 4-wheeler. Now we're doing the same. We're so incestuous around here.
In any case, the vehicle is called the Sidekick, and there are two videos from user Welmoed on YouTube showing the quadricycle in action. As Welmoed wrote on BoingBoing, "With the current gas prices, it's now our 'errand car' -- we use it for one-person errands within a 10 mile radius. It gets a lot of interesting looks!" One of the videos says the rider is Bob and he's going "through the Kentlands," so maybe this is Maryland we're talking about? In any case, it's good to see that DIY is alive and well and willing to get some strange looks as it drives along. See the Sidekick in action after the jump.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
steven 2:24PM (6/04/2008)
Nah, it couldn't be Maryland. Some of those folks actually KNEW how to use a 4-way stop!
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EvenSteven 3:34PM (6/04/2008)
Hey how about some reporting? How does it work? Give some specifics? How did he build it? Is there a webpage? Is it a commercial offering? Whats the deal? This is a really poor blog entry.
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Das Boese 6:35PM (6/04/2008)
Take it easy ffs. It's a blog post, neither is it a patent application nor a news article or a press release. Learn the difference between blogging and journalism.
Anyway, if you're so desperate to know more, how about just asking the guy that built it? The youtube link is right there in front of your eyes you know.
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Welmoed 9:36PM (6/04/2008)
Hi; that's my husband Bob piloting the Sidekick. We are indeed in Maryland; most people around here actually do know how to drive, as long as there is no snow on the ground (or even threatened).
The Sidekick is NOT a "Bob original"; he built it from plans he purchased from http://www.americanspeedster.com, and then he added the motor to it. He didn't document the construction, nor is there currently any web page or blog about it. That might be something I put together for him in my copious free time; given the explosion of interest in it, I had better carve some out!!
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pacman 9:38AM (6/05/2008)
Das Boes - Apparently you don't read the AutoBlog or AutoBlog Green very often. These pages are not some guy in a basement blogging about his vacation. This is a news source for automotive journalism. They go to Auto shows and have press credentials. The auto manufactures let them test cars and trucks. They reports on the events surrounding the Chevy Volt. Yes I do expect so information when an article is posted, just to meet the standards they have set in the past.
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Duodenum 10:20AM (6/05/2008)
Definitely Maryland! I saw this thing tooling around Darnestown Road last night about 5:30 or so, just past the detour. Quite the coincidence! :)
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Das Boese 2:05PM (6/05/2008)
Pacman.
I read AB every f'ing day.
ABG at least once a week.
Which is the exact reason why I said what I said.
I stand by my point.
I don't give a damn about your standards and expectations. If AB or ABG don't meet them, that's your problem. Not mine and certainly not theirs.
Welmoed, thanks for the info and the link!
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