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Since I sometimes commute by Caltrain, I have been very interested in this "last mile or two" transportation problem. A remarkable number of engineer/entrepren

Since I sometimes commute by Caltrain, I have been very interested in this "last mile or two" transportation problem. A remarkable number of engineer/entrepreneurs have sprung up attempting to offer devices that solve it. Here are some highlights of what I've found: Segway: easy to ride and reasonably fast, but expensive, and worse, much too heavy (100 lb) to pick up and take on a train. YikeBike folding electric bicycle: looks not too hard to ride; a little slow, perhaps, at 15 mph. A technological marvel (anti-lock brakes!) but correspondingly expensive ($2000 for the 31 lb model, $3800 for the 24 lb carbon fiber model). Conscious Commuter folding electric bicycle: this is a very nice-looking design whose development was recently funded on Kickstarter (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1585753369/folding-electric-bike-for-commuters http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1585753369/folding-elect...). No specs yet, but looks extremely promising. Trikke EV: a very creative design. Looks fun to ride, but a little heavy for this purpose (38 - 46 lb depending on model) and not particularly fast (13 - 16 mph). Metroboard electric skateboard: reasonably fast (20 mph) and extremely light (~20 lbs depending on model). I have one of these and it's an impressive piece of engineering and fun to ride, but it does require substantial athleticism and, uh, a certain risk tolerance. Not a mass market product. If those aren't exotic enough for you, a number of people are working on self-balancing electric unicycles (!!).

ams6110 15y ago
If we're talking about a "last mile or two" what's wrong with a conventional bicycle? These other things seem to be needlessly expensive and complex solutions to that problem. The big problem with all of these though is they are all unpleasant in inclement weather and cold temperatures.
- ScottBurson 15y ago
  Conventional bicycles are bulkier than these other solutions, making them harder to carry onto whatever mass transit one is using. On Caltrain, for example, bicycles are restricted to a special car at one end of the train. On other systems like BART, bicycles aren't even allowed on many trains. The other problem with conventional bicycles is that it's hard to go very far without getting sweaty -- depending on the weather, of course, and one's patience for riding slowly. It's nice to have power assist. Folding bicycles can be compact enough to carry on any mass transit conveyance. The Metroboard is certainly quite compact and portable. Not sure about the Trikke. You're right that weather can be a problem.
  - pak 15y ago
    I'd get a cheapo used bike and lock it at the station. Bike racks/poles are everywhere; personally, I think people carrying their Inspector Gadget $2000 foldabikes on the train are overestimating the utility of taking the same bike everywhere. As for getting sweaty, this is just the last mile we're talking about--if you get worked up on a 10 minute bike ride it's time for more exercise!
- stevecooperorg 15y ago
  I think weather can be more of a perceived problem than an actual one, sometimes. I ride a bike here in northern England. For two short rides of about 15-20 minutes each way, the chances of being rained on are pretty small; maybe ten times in a year? If you had a folding bike, then ten taxi rides on wet days might be a worthwhile yearly penalty.
  - protomyth 15y ago
    In North Dakota, weather is not a perceived problem. Cars work everywhere, and it is likely that he replacement needs to do the same.
ryanwaggoner 15y ago
I want to see someone build a cheap (several thousand dollars) version of an enclosed motorcycle like this: http://green.autoblog.com/2011/09/19/lit-motors-c1-enclosed-motorcycle-uses-flywheel-magic-not-train/ http://green.autoblog.com/2011/09/19/lit-motors-c1-enclosed-... And then a self-driving model :)
- ScottBurson 15y ago
  Very cool!! Reminds me of the Gyro-X, a gyroscopic car someone built in 1967. I still remember reading about how the car could be made to stay perfectly vertical in turns, or even lean outward.
jsilence 15y ago
"last mile or two" transportation problem. Non-existing problem. Walk. For two miles, use a cheap bike. Done.
- tatsuke95 15y ago
  You can't get your bike to the last two miles, easily, on public transportation. That's the point.
  - tonyedgecombe 15y ago
    Then leave a bike at the last two miles, go to any railway station in the UK and you will see thousands of bikes left for the last part of the journey.
    - jsilence 15y ago
      Exactly. And a lot of cities started implementing bike rental systems.

ams6110 15y ago

If we're talking about a "last mile or two" what's wrong with a conventional bicycle? These other things seem to be needlessly expensive and complex solutions to that problem. The big problem with all of these though is they are all unpleasant in inclement weather and cold temperatures.

ScottBurson 15y ago
Conventional bicycles are bulkier than these other solutions, making them harder to carry onto whatever mass transit one is using. On Caltrain, for example, bicycles are restricted to a special car at one end of the train. On other systems like BART, bicycles aren't even allowed on many trains. The other problem with conventional bicycles is that it's hard to go very far without getting sweaty -- depending on the weather, of course, and one's patience for riding slowly. It's nice to have power assist. Folding bicycles can be compact enough to carry on any mass transit conveyance. The Metroboard is certainly quite compact and portable. Not sure about the Trikke. You're right that weather can be a problem.
- pak 15y ago
  I'd get a cheapo used bike and lock it at the station. Bike racks/poles are everywhere; personally, I think people carrying their Inspector Gadget $2000 foldabikes on the train are overestimating the utility of taking the same bike everywhere. As for getting sweaty, this is just the last mile we're talking about--if you get worked up on a 10 minute bike ride it's time for more exercise!
stevecooperorg 15y ago
I think weather can be more of a perceived problem than an actual one, sometimes. I ride a bike here in northern England. For two short rides of about 15-20 minutes each way, the chances of being rained on are pretty small; maybe ten times in a year? If you had a folding bike, then ten taxi rides on wet days might be a worthwhile yearly penalty.
- protomyth 15y ago
  In North Dakota, weather is not a perceived problem. Cars work everywhere, and it is likely that he replacement needs to do the same.

ryanwaggoner 15y ago

I want to see someone build a cheap (several thousand dollars) version of an enclosed motorcycle like this: http://green.autoblog.com/2011/09/19/lit-motors-c1-enclosed-motorcycle-uses-flywheel-magic-not-train/ http://green.autoblog.com/2011/09/19/lit-motors-c1-enclosed-... And then a self-driving model :)

ScottBurson 15y ago
Very cool!! Reminds me of the Gyro-X, a gyroscopic car someone built in 1967. I still remember reading about how the car could be made to stay perfectly vertical in turns, or even lean outward.

jsilence 15y ago

"last mile or two" transportation problem. Non-existing problem. Walk. For two miles, use a cheap bike. Done.

tatsuke95 15y ago
You can't get your bike to the last two miles, easily, on public transportation. That's the point.
- tonyedgecombe 15y ago
  Then leave a bike at the last two miles, go to any railway station in the UK and you will see thousands of bikes left for the last part of the journey.
  - jsilence 15y ago
    Exactly. And a lot of cities started implementing bike rental systems.