Bicycles

The 7-seat ConferenceBike redefines "mobile" meetings

The 7-seat ConferenceBike redefines "mobile" meetings
ConferenceBike on the road
ConferenceBike on the road
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ConferenceBike on the road
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ConferenceBike on the road
Up to six pedalers and one person at the helm
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Up to six pedalers and one person at the helm
Less than seven riders can also propel the bike
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Less than seven riders can also propel the bike
With an all-weather modification
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With an all-weather modification
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From the inexplicable innovations department comes the ConferenceBike, a seven-seater bicycle with all the riders seated facing each other in a circle, enabling the moving meetings that surely someone somewhere has been yearning for.

We've seen bikes outfitted to serve beer and coffee, but serving up conferencing opportunities has remained a relatively untapped cycling opportunity.

Enter the ConferenceBike, also known as the CoBi: The setup allows up to six people to pedal, propelling the gathering as a seventh person steers. The whole concept makes a little more sense when you understand its origins as an art piece by artist Eric Staller all the way back in 1991.

The original art project was an eight-person bike called Octos that garnered so much attention Staller began down the path to making a commercial version.

"I then built a 2D model with seven seats and called it the ConferenceBike. Several prototypes later I have the foolproof and built-to-last model of the ConferenceBike that it is today," he writes on his blog.

With an all-weather modification
With an all-weather modification

With a price tag of US$12,750, Staller isn't exactly targeting large families, instead he sees the CoBi as something that large organizations, and even cities and towns should invest in. So far, schools, universities, transportation and exercise services for the blind, Google and Cirque du Soleil are among the places where the hundreds of CoBis around the world have gone into service.

Seven people may be needed to move the CoBi to places where it can't be ridden - the bike weighs approximately 200 kg (440 lb) and measures 2.5 x 1.8 x 1.4 m (8 x 6 x 4 ft). The ConferenceBike website claims it can safely carry people weighing 700 kg (1,500 lb) altogether and that it can easily achieve speeds of 15 km per hour (10 mph).

You can see a CoBi in action in the video below.

Source: ConferenceBike.com

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5 comments
5 comments
Bob Flint
Seven is a lonely number, make it eight and heart shaped...
sk8dad
Great for corporate "team building" events where the metaphors of the workplace is embodied in a cycling form.
...a few doing most of the work while the rest tags along for the ride ...lowest level employees have zero visibility to company direction ...you have no choice in the direction the boss takes you even if there's a truck heading your way ...for some, bailing is an option while for others, you will get run over in the process ...it's easiest and safest for the ceo to bail and land on his feet in the face of impending catastrophe
c w
Wait...so I wasn't seeing these in NYC in 2004?
Or was that made by a different company?
Deres
Nice idea. Maybe some models with different number of users would be nice as the vehicule will be very heavy if you are obly four for instance.
Why is the seventh user not pedaling and only steering ? I think a common large vertical steering wheel would be funnier.
Fairly Reasoner
Sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going. I was in a meeting.