The Conference Bike

(This article was originally published in my sports page column Self-Propelled

in the Sept. 11 to 17, 2011 issue of the Baguio Chronicle
--- a weekly newspaper based in Baguio City, Philippines.)

Looking for a new place to have a meeting?

Introducing the ConferenceBike (CoBi for short), a 7-seat human-powered vehicle with a pedal-driven circular jointed drive-shaft and rack-and-pinion steering --- truly a unique way of bringing together people (literally speaking). It is steered by one of its passengers while everyone is free to pedal (or not).

Everyone who rides a CoBi lights up smiling. It has a magical effect on people: it lowers inhibitions and after just a few minutes even total strangers are talking to one another.

Weighing approximately 200 kilos, it is manufactured by the German company VeloSaliko and about 400 of it are now being used in 18 countries.

Originally intended as an artwork by American artist/inventor Eric Staller, CoBis are used primarily for tourism but are gaining acceptance on corporate and university campuses. Its uses include team-building, elderly and handicapped recreation, school obesity and sustainability awareness programs.

The ConferenceBike is now being enjoyed by diverse groups all over the world. It is a tour bike in London and Berlin. It is used as a tool for corporate team-building in Amsterdam and San Diego, a way for blind people to bike in Dublin, a human-powered school bus in America and a vehicle to convey people at theme parks in England, Germany and Israel. They have been also used for fund-raising events and in biking advocacy groups worldwide.

Every week, new uses are being discovered: seminars, clubs, festivals, therapy groups and are all amazed at the powerful sharing effect that these bikes have.

It is about 2.5 meters (8 feet) long, 1.8 meters (6 feet wide) and 1.4 meters (4 feet) high. It is not considered as a “speed machine” and in normal circumstances; it can go as fast as 15 kph (10mph).

In most countries, the CoBi has the same legal status as a bicycle. It costs a little under 10,000 Euros (excluding VAT and shipping).*