When I was a kid, I used to watch a lot of TV. On the TV shows and movies that ran late at night, it wasn’t uncommon to see cars that were able to fly and drive in the water like they were a boat. This captured my imagination as a kid. The possibilities of having a car that could fly seemed amazing, but also absurdly unrealistic. How would Air Traffic Control keep track of millions of cars flying around? It’s already a nightmare regulating the thousands of plane flights that occur daily.
It just doesn’t seem possible for there to be a flying car. Similar problems occur when regulating cars that could double as boats. The cost of building them would be unheard of and there just doesn’t seem to be much of a use for them. Hybrid vehicles seemed to be a dream for me as a child. It looked like they just couldn’t be done realistically.
A Bicycle That Doubles As A Boat
But what if there was a hybrid bicycle? The thought sounds absurd, but let’s entertain it. Flying would be out of the question, of course. But what if there was a bike that also doubled as a boat/raft? Is that possible? How would it even work?
It might come as a surprise to those reading this, but we don’t actually have to imagine how this bicycle hybrid would work. Because it actually exists. The Shuttle Bike Kit is an easy to apply kit that will turn your bicycle into a raft that you can pedal around on water with. It is easy to store and comes in a backpack for traveling convenience.
Introducing The Shuttle Bike Kit
The kit includes two yellow pontoons that are easily attached to the bike. The pontoons are described as being “made of special calendered plastic fabric with an intermediate layer of nylon that gives high impact resistance and great rigidity to guarantee maximum set-up.” This means that they are both durable and easy to set up. The pontoons attach to a set of pipes known as the “inox frame” that connected to the bike through a series of corrosion resistant clamps.
The kit also includes a propulsion unit and body roller that connect the entire system with a flexible cable. All of this helps keep the bike afloat and to move it on the water. It sounds like it’s a very technical and complicated process, but in reality, the entire act of transforming your bike into a pedaling raft is fast and intuitive.
Looking at the cost of the bike, it’s a surprisingly affordable €1,300 euros. That may seem like a large sum to pay upfront, but remember that you’re going to be able to literally bike on water. It’s an impressive feat that seemed like the impossible to me as a kid. If we continue to push innovation like this, then maybe one day it won’t seem so far fetched for us to have cars that double as boats, or maybe even fly. The future is what we make it.
