We’ve seen some interesting takes on bikes before, but the Twicycle takes the cake for being well… ummm… let’s just call it different. The bike essentially combines a standard bicycle and a hand cycle, allowing you to pedal with your hands and legs — think patting your head and rubbing your stomach at the same time.
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According to the brand, “Twicycle was invented out of the desire to achieve full body workout while cycling outdoors and out of frustration that no such affordable product exists on the market today."
Cyclists have never been known for their bulging biceps or upper body strength, but that may be a thing of the past with the Twicycle offering a full body workout. With an eight-speed cassette on the front and rear wheels, the Twicycle is essentially two-wheel drive and can be ridden powered by your arms, legs or both. Shifting duties are tasked to downtube style shifters mounted on the stem and Shimano derailleurs.
Twicycle says that its system is not only good for getting an arm work out but also offers added traction, “having drive on both wheels increases traction two-fold so you no longer have to have the rear wheel just spin and give no drive forcing you to walk the rest of the uphill.”
At the front, the handle bars or ‘arm cranks’ are made from carbon fiber and rotate as one unit. The brake handles appear to serve as the main contact point and spin independent of the bars to keep your hands flat and prevent the cables from tangling. Stopping duties are taken care of using standard Tektro road calipers.
The front and rear drivetrains are completely independent of each other and also have freewheels to allow the wheels to coast.
Mounted on top of the bars is a chest pad to keep your face a safe distance from the chainring also mounted on the bars, although worryingly the front chainring cover is an optional extra, so is the ‘Arm Cranks Locking Mechanism.’
The frame is made with aluminium and Twicycle says the bike is lightweight, though they don’t offer a claimed weight. At launch the Twicycle will be available in three sizes: 54cm, 57cm, and 60cm.
Live on Indiegogo, with a little more than two weeks remaining in its campaign, the Twicycle has raised nearly US$40,000 of its US$50,000 dollar goal and will retail for US$1,999. The brand also says there’s a mountain bike version on the way.
Would you give the Twicycle a try or do you think it should be killed with fire? Let us know in the comments.