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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-14823780

http://www.whike.com/en/

It is a very interesting concept. I am not sure of the down sides but there are a couple of sailors who may be able to offer insights.

Certainly might reduce the calories needed for intercity 100 mile plus rides.

i would never buy a reclining bike. you need to be able to stand, off the saddle, to handle obstacles. lying down is just silly.

the deal with wind on a bike is when you're going into it. that can be a killer. nothing here solves that without giving too much else away. you say, 'but i want to catch the wind!' well, if it's behind you, just stand up; you'll act as your own sail but be able to deal w/terrain better.

nobodypanic wrote:i would never buy a reclining bike. you need to be able to stand, off the saddle, to handle obstacles. lying down is just silly.

the deal with wind on a bike is when you're going into it. that can be a killer. nothing here solves that without giving too much else away. you say, 'but i want to catch the wind!' well, if it's behind you, just stand up; you'll act as your own sail but be able to deal w/terrain better.

Thats no problem! just tack from one side of the freeway to the other!

I'm sure someone has done this. After fighting the wind the other day, it seemed to me that there is a market for a sail-driven bike. The sail could be mounted on a post behind the rider, and be turned to take advantage of the prevaling wind. With tacking, it could be used even when the wind is coming from a frontal angle. Seems to me that with just a small boost speeds of 30mph could be common (yeah, I know -- for some of you they already are).

Does anyone know of such an invention?

This reminds me of the sail boat Dirk Pitt used - on a desert!
You can read it in Sahara, a novel by Clive Cussler (please tell me I got the author right. <: )

This reminds me of the sail boat used by Dirk Pitt - on the desert sand. I read it in Clive Cussler's THE SAHARA. I never thought I'd see the day it will be used on a bicycle. Good post!