Do you own a car?
Yes, an Audi A2 1,2 litre.
Bikes are great but what about the rain, the elements and safety on the road filled with speeding cars?
When it rains people in Copenhagen and Amsterdam put on rain jackets. There are bikes with fairings, but people seem to prefer open bikes. Bikes are less safe than cars from a micro perspective. A lot can be done about that. From a macro perspective cars are the killers of bicyclists and pedestrians, not vice versa.
Why is the guy on the bike in your movie not wearing a helmet? Is safety not a feature?
Helmets look even less cool than bikes. Cool factor first. Step 1: Get people on bikes. Step 2: Then super optimise on safety etc.
How do you think bikes can function in a city like Jo’burg where there is crime and large distances between places?
For sure. Africa will be hit the hardest by urbanisation. Traffic will get slower and slower. Even today bikes are faster than cars within Jo’burg. Carjacking is ordinary, not bike jacking. Research in London has proven that it is safer to bike than to use any other means of transport in terms of robberies and rapes.
Perhaps you should collaborate with Christine Goudie on wheelchairs?
Perhaps.
You have given beautiful alternative options for bike designs. Just wondering why you are not changing the look of the wheel spikes either? They still seem conservative?
I don’t want to go all crazy. I like that some parts are still quiet and classic. But maybe one day…
Do you have any bikes for mothers with kids?
Chairs for kids can be attached on all of them. The Puma Mopion is a cargo bike that could carry a kid or two.
Making bikes more attractive is great but what about those who don't have the money?
They are still going to be cheaper than cars. The Biomegas are not aimed at a developing market. The Puma bikes are mid-range and could work in South Africa. I still haven’t started a cheap brand.
How do you incorporate the smell into the bike? In the packaging? How long does the smell last?
Yes, in the packaging / on the bike - the smell is only present at your first encounter (when it is new) – then disappears.
How do you make bikes work for a city like Cape Town where the wind is often gale force and the drivers kill cyclists on a regular basis?
You could use bikes with fairings. The winds in Cape Town are not tougher than in Copenhagen, people just stand up when there is a head wind. The traffic situation is not worse than a ton of other cities. Bikes are less safe than cars from a micro perspective. A lot can be done about that. From a macro perspective cars are the killers of bicyclists and pedestrians, not vice versa.
The pic in Jens Martin Skibsted's presentation of the super-size bum has inspired me to start cycling. Seriously.
I’m loving it.
