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We Bet You Didn't Know Anything About the Addicting Subculture Called “Halfbike”

Saturday morning. You get a phone call that the boys and girls are getting ready to go for a 9 a.m. ride. Half asleep, you ask, “What time is it?” A short pause, followed by the words “Get up, you half-human," and the call goes dead.
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Photo: Halfbike
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Nothing more needs to be said, as this is just the sort of thing many folks around the world are experiencing. Why? Because of something known as the Halfbike. This idea has actually been around for a while, long enough to start an entire subculture in some parts of the world.

What you see before you in the cover photo, aside from the young lady there, is the third and freshest version of the Halfbike. But what the heck is a Halfbike and how do you ride it as riding a full bike seems to be hard enough for some folks? That’s a hint for everybody to get those cheeks movin’.

Well, this trinket is exactly what its name implies. It’s literally half a bike - well, sort of. It’s rather a whole new device on its own, so let’s see what we get if we to want to be part of this wave moving around the world.

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Photo: Halfbike
As it stands, it clearly doesn’t look like a traditional bicycle, but rather a three-wheeled scooter with pedals. And instead of pushing your feet against the ground for momentum, you just rotate the pedals as you would on a bike. By now, you may have noticed that one important piece is missing from all of this: the seat.

A bicycle design includes a seat for a number of purposes, one of which is to keep the rider rested, thus increasing range. For the Halfbike, it seems range too might only be half that of a classic bike. One thing, however, that will increase, is the amount of energy you’ll exert while riding this contraption. Since you will be standing the entire time, your legs will definitely feel the burn.

As for stability and maneuverability while riding the bike, you’ll be using those scooter-like handlebars and your body’s natural movements. I say natural movements because, unlike other bikes or even scooters, this device is maneuvered not by turning the handlebars on an axis but rather, by leaning, exactly like that Japanese android scooter thing. Oh, you missed that one? Shame. Just click here to check it out.

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Photo: Halfbike
As for the Halfbike, it’s nearly 20-lbs (9-kg) of aircraft-grade aluminum with a heavy-duty crank system (since all your weight is also on this component alone), plus a pair of brakes. Oh, and you also have four different gears you can choose from in order to tackle more than just flat surfaces.

Have a look at the video below and draw your own conclusions. As for yours truly, I want mine painted hot orange. For the $775 (approximately €649 at the current exchange rates), it seems the perfect Christmas gift to make you look forward to the arrival of spring.

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About the author: Cristian Curmei
Cristian Curmei profile photo

A bit of a nomad at heart (being born in Europe and raised in several places in the USA), Cristian is enamored with travel trailers, campers and bikes. He also tests and writes about urban means of transportation like scooters, mopeds and e-bikes (when he's not busy hosting our video stories and guides).
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