Skiing/skating hybrid
Roller skates and skateboards are out, for now there’s a new trend in recreational motion. You’ve read our article on e-bikes and the like, and now we’re going to tell you about Chariot Skates, a futuristic way of getting around that is both unusual and fun.
Kids used them, as well as students and businessmen, with ties flapping on these little pedal-scooters like the ones that were seen everywhere in cities a few years back. But now the overdone kick scooter craze has waned away, and the next wave of boards and skates is upon us.
Longboards are now standard, which are classic skateboards that are stylishly elongated and shaped and were originally ridden by both beach surfers and young urban surfers. And then there are the Segways electric scooters propelled by shifting your body weight -- which are used by golfers, for city tours, and by the police as well now. On the German TV show “Wetten, dass...?", a young man named Samuel Koch then demonstrated the PowerStrider, which features springs mounted on one’s shins, by attempting a jump over a moving car that proved his undoing
So now here come ChariotSkates, skates made of carbon fiber sporting big 40 cm wheels, each augmented by a little support wheel; the skater’s feet are strapped to platform-like pedals affixed below the axis of the big wheel. The skates’ low center of gravity creates an entirely different and fun feel of highly stable motion with minimal effort. According to the manufacturer, Chariots provide a "fluid flow" and "new kind of skating experience" that is like a cross between ice skating and skiing, but more gliding than skating.
The pneumatic wheel makes it possible to skate off-road, on grass and uneven surfaces. Top speeds of around 20 km/h are attainable, but the product was not designed primarily to be fast. Instead it’s a revolutionary skating technology that affords better control and dynamism without limitation as to where you can go on them.
This breakthrough design was invented by Australian Michael Jenkins. A former electrician and an avid skier and cyclist, since the 1980s Jenkins has had a vision of uniting the sense of freedom that comes with bicycling with the motion feel of skating and skiing. He got the specific idea for Chariot Skates in 2004, and his team worked on developing them for three years. The skates are hand-made by Jenkins’ company Chariot Skates. Ltd. based in Hong Kong, and distributed to sporting goods stores everywhere.
People are looking for new experiences, thus the interest in this cutting-edge mode of mobility that looks cool and makes it easier to get around. The market loves innovative inventions nowadays, and Chariots are ahead of the curve, totally revolutionizing skating and getting around.
For more info visit http://www.chariotskates.com/