Commuting on a YikeBike?

Some days the New York Times Magazine has just the right story that brings out a smile in me and a sudden desire to go out and buy something like a YikeBike. Doubt if the exercise component is great when wheeling along on this new invention but at least you don't have to buy a parking space or stop and fill up the tank at $3.45 per gallon.

It’s an electric bike. Top speed is about 15 miles an hour. The accelerator and brakes are smoothly controlled by buttons that are right under your thumbs on the handlebars. The handlebars themselves are at your waist level, which might seem odd but makes sense—you ride sitting fully upright instead of bending forward, as on a bicycle. That design also means that you can jump forward off the bike in a crisis; there’s no hardware in your way.

Here’s the twist: the whole thing folds down into its own front wheel. You undo four stainless-steel latches, then snap the back wheel, seat and handlebars into the front one. It takes about 10 seconds.

The YikeBike is therefore perfect for covering that distance between your home and the train station. You can fold it down and set it next to you on the train, then unfold it and ride to your office at the other end.