Imagine a bike that can go as fast as a car on the highway - with only human muscle strength!
Sounds impossible? No it's not!
A new world record for the fastest bike (only powered by muscular strength) has been set -
The 'Eta' bike in bullet form can reach an incredible maximum speed of 144km/h (89mph)!
The bike has been created by Canadian Company Aerovelo, an the record was broken in September this year at the World Human Powered Speed Challenge on a Highway in Nevada - the flattest and straightest route in the world.
Wind and weather can influence the speed a lot, and even something as tiny as a dead bug on the shell can cost important milliseconds.
The secret to the extreme speed is the aerodynamic shape of the bike, as well as the weight: it's made from carbon fibers and only weighs 25kg.
This creates an air resistance that's 100 times smaller than that of a regular car!
The Eta has wheels that are hand-made and extremely thin. They only stick out 8mm from the body of the bike.
The cyclist sits inside in a laying position, and since there is no windshield or window, he can only see what's in front of him through a monitor that's connected to 2 tiny cameras outside of the vehicle.
The small Monitors inside the vehicle are the only way for the driver to see outside
The bike is extremely energy efficient - to reach 90km/h it only needs 198 watts of muscle power: that's only as much as you'd need to light up 3 light bulbs.
"It's an unbelievable feeling to be riding in something that efficient. It cuts through the air with such little resistance, and before you know it, you're cruising at highway speeds on nothing more than your own power. When you realize that this is the same amount of power it takes to light up a few light bulbs, it's truly mind blowing" - Todd Reichert, creator of the Eta and co-founder of Aerovelo
The creators of the Eta are specialized in human-powered vehicles, and have previously created an ornithopter and a helicopter only "fueled" by muscular strength.
With the human-powered helicopter they caught Google's attention, and Google sponsored part of the production of the Eta in return.
The Eta was not created to be a vehicle of the future - but rather to demonstrate what is possible wth only human muscle strength.
If a car was as efficient as the Eta, it could go 15.000km with only 4.5 liters of fuel (9500 miles with 1 gallon), which is only 0.03l per 100 kilometers.
- Instagram -
© Sirwinchester
@sirwinchester, the bicycle is the greatest invention in my opinion. I was able to get a customized 20" bmx to 32 mph. I could average 23 mph for 14 miles.
haha, not quite as fast as the eta, but awesome as well! and way more reliable for everyday use!
@sirwinchester, I would liwve to travel that fast on a bicycle. My goal was 40mph on my BMX, then two babies arrived. Steem On Friend.
it looks like a mini space ship lol
haha yes it does!
imagine a car that was that efficient!
it would change the whole automobile and oil industry!
144 kmh is CRAZY! only with a bike.. wow
very interesting technology, didn’t know this was possible without a motor
This is what I need - I would get from home to school in NO TIME!! :D
thanks for sharing this story, humans and their inventions are amazing!
Flip this is fast if you take that the fastest road bikes, powered by an engine, the Suzuki Hayabusa Turbocharged can reach 483 km/h (300 mph ). I'm not mentioning the Dodge Tomahawk as it is in a total different class
didn't know that, that's impressive!
I kind of wish there was a steemit logo on the side of it.
At least people could see it when it was stopped. (LOL)
that would be great advertisement!
Agreed, the more we get our name out there (in a positive light) the better!
bright post my friend @sirwinchester congratulations on the finding, surprising bike, I would like one, thanks for sharing beautiful material
Even a BUG on the window makes it slower?! wow
yes they actually failed to break the record a day earlier because there was a smashed bug on the front that made the whole vehicle slower!
technology nowadays amazes me everytime!
Interesting find and share, Thank You
It is sometimes simplicity that is the most beautiful form of innovation. This just proves that.
true! :)
I'd like one please. :)
yes I'd like to try it out as well!
In it's basic form the bicycle is already the most efficient use of human energy for travel, it's not surprising they were able to really maximize that potential with this design. Incredible.
That is rad!!
Wow, amazing. I am a huge fan of these kinds of transport vehicles.
I used to have a Sunrider. You should us seen us. We were inseparable.
But I never got it to run to 144 km. I think I needed to tweak the flux-capacitor to activate on lower speeds.
Hi @sirwinchester, I just stopped back to let you know your post was one of my favourite reads yesterday and I included it in my Steemit Ramble. You can read what I wrote about your post here.
This post has been linked to from another place on Steem.
Oct 30 - Steemit Ramble #42 - Don't You Hate Missing Good Posts by @shadowspub
Advanced Steem Metrics Report for 30th October 2016 by @ontofractal
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