Toyota Prius Project Concept Bike

That is a sweet bike! I bet it costs almost as much as a Prius, but at least it gets better MPG.

 

Wow! As if the conventional features of the bike weren't already sweet, they go and put mind-control shifting into the bike. I wonder what the rider was wearing in lieu of the Camelbak? It looked like an iPad or MacAir.

 

So it's a TT frame with Di2 and no power meter....

Another fancy (not terribly useful on the real road) toy.

 

More and more TT details are making their way into road bikes nowadays.
So I'm not to concerned about that, but carrying the mind control thing during a race and then crashing with it... rather not. Di2 on the other hand is sweet, given you got the dispensable income to shell out the money for it or you're a pro-tour rider and thats your team's swag.

Also, this bike is probably more for the recreational rider, not the racer. A recreational rider doesn't need a power-meter since he/she won't be suffering through intervals in their basement during the winter month.

 

So it reads your mind to change gears? What if I see a hot girl on a bike and I lose my thought? Does the bike blow up?

 

Depends how hot the girl is, and where your confidence level is at the time. Maybe you crash and burn, maybe you click into high gear.

On a more serious note, why are so many ultra-expensive, bleeding-edge technology bikes based on the 1888 Rover Safety Cycle? An enclosed recumbent is safer, more comfortable, and much faster.

 

Exactly what I was thinking - I'd hate to be in any kind of competitive situation (hell, I'd hate to have a car passing me by on a tight road) when the mind control thing decides to go haywire.

UCI rules. It's not like anyone's being stopped from buying a recumbent (if they're not competing).

 

UCI banned recumbents from their sanctioned races in 1934 because they were too fast. There are competitions for recumbents, officially sanctioned by the IHPVA; the current speed record is 82 mph.

 

I've never ridden a bent, so take this with a grain of salt.
But going into a tight corner in a crit at roughly 25mph with wheels and handlebars just a few inches apart, sometimes shoulders and legs bumping into each other, I'd rather ride a slower UCI legal race bike than a bent. Maybe it's just the comfort zone I'm in when racing an upright bike, but I can't imagine drafting in a pack of 75-100 riders with a bent.

 

Feh, it still has a sprocket and dérailleur. Why not an HSD?

 

Because an HSD would add a lot of weight.

And since looking at the Prius bike, this is more geared towards the weekend casual rider who has deep pockets, but at the same thinks, with a 14 lbs bike s/he'll climb better than Lance Armstrong or Contador or the Schleck brothers up the Col du Galibier or Alpe D'Huez, an HSD wouldn't make any sense. Adding that weight for an HSD drivetrain would not make it the lightest bike anymore in his/her group ride and therefore s/he'd be doomed to loose against Pro-Tour riders because their bikes weigh the exact UCI limit of 14.96lbs and his/hers is 1lbs heavier.

You have to understand, that winning a race is all about the bike weight, not about the riders ability to put out more than 300W over 6 hours for about 21 days straight.

(I race with a powermeter, and putting out 300W for about 10 minutes is already pretty f'n hard)

 

In addition, while the HSD is "efficient" in an automobile transmission sense, it is terribly (horribly) inefficient compared to the chain drive of a bicycle (where something like 99% of the energy goes into motive force). Compared to the teflon-lubed 10-speed of a mid-range road bike, gear/HSD/whatever transmission setups are complete crap.

 

True, HSD is not for a racing bike. It would be for casual riders for whom overall efficiency is less important that (1) maximum effort required, and (2) hill-climb assist. There is value in being able to pedal at constant cadence and force regardless of the grade. I'd buy an HSD bike for the technogeek factor and being rid of all the exposed mechanics.

 

UCI racing bikes are a narrowly defined category that emphasizes low weight, but outlaws anything that could be an aerodynamic advantage. From a purely engineering point of view, this does not make for the fastest possible machine, nor necessarily the most efficient. For a long distance touring cyclist who doesn't have an entourage of mechanics following him in cars loaded with snacks and spare parts, innovations like Schlumpf drives and Rohloff hub gearing systems are very popular. Yes, they're a bit heavier, but they're also cleaner and more reliable. No HSD yet, but there are many more options than you may be aware of.