Dear Guy On The Unicycle: It's Time To Upgrade To The Electric-Powered RYNO
When I was a freshman in college, there was a guy in my dorm who was always on a unicycle. I'd like to think he grew out of that unicycle and upon reading this (he definitely reads this site, by the way), he is struck with the need to buy the RYNO.
While it looks like a half-motorcycle, it's technically a motor-scooter—which is definitely an upgrade from a unicycle. Don't expect to win any races on the RYNO though, because it only reaches about 10mph (for up to 10 miles) on a full charge. Rather, the RYNO works better for short trips, like to the office or the grocery store.
The RYNO is self-promoted as offering "a new kind of freedom" of transportation. Its name is actually an overachieving acronym for Ride Your New Opportunity. The smaller size of the "Micro-Cycle" makes it easier to navigate busy sidewalks, parks, or even farmer's markets, giving riders less restrictions on where they can take it.
Similar to a Segway, you only need to lean forward to get the bike to move and lean back to get it to slow down or stop. The vehicle supports up to 260 pounds and is designed to help you balance forward and backward, though balancing left and right is all on you. Optional accessories include a Lithium Ion battery and the RYNO Rack (for your aforementioned groceries or briefcase).
If you want to be the first to own RYNO (I'm looking at you, Unicycle Guy), you can pre-order the bike for a fully-refundable $150 deposit, a small dent in the $5,295 USD total cost. A short production run of pre-orders will ship later this year and a higher volume will be available sometime in 2015.