There’s a lot to love about a traditional bicycle—like the ability to get from Point A to Point B quickly—but California-based designer John Aldridge thinks there’s room for improvement. His Bird of Prey bike is designed with certain advantages in mind, and you get to look and feel like Superman while riding it.
The headfirst prone bike positions you so that you’re leaning forward as you ride, rather than sitting up like you would on a normal or a recumbent bike. This posture improves aerodynamics, as the Bird of Prey is designed to make you glide through the air more like, well, a bird. Think about the difference between trying to run through water upright versus swimming horizontally, or the way speed cyclists lean forward and down while they’re racing. The prone bike naturally puts you in this position to cut down on drag and allows you to expend less energy.
Because you’re parallel to the ground, your center of gravity on the Bird of Prey bike is much lower than on a traditional bike, which makes the prone cycle more sensitive to maneuvers and quicker around turns. This kind of responsiveness could make it easier to avoid accidents, and if you do have to stop suddenly, you’re less likely to get thrown over the handlebars. Right now, the bikes are only being custom built—which will cost you anywhere from $7,000 to $8,500. But you can check it out in action below or on the company’s Facebook page.
