If you're looking for a unique form of urban transit, you could do worse than using awheeled version of a stand-up paddleboard (SUP) which you push along with a pole. Should that still not be out-there enough for you, though, you could always try Boo Bicycles' bamboo Urban SUP.
We spied a prototype of the Urban SUP this week in Sacramento, at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show. As you can see, it looks pretty … eye-catching. According to Boo's Drew Haugen, however, the use of bamboo goes beyond aesthetics.
"This species of bamboo has an incredibly high fiber density," he told us. "It's really stiff against bending, but it's also compliant in certain ways that make it forgiving. As compared to a homogenous material that's going to be on or off, there's a nuance and versatility to the response of this material."
In our highly unscientific heft test, it felt like it weighed no more than a few pounds.
Haugen and company are currently still testing the board, along with gauging public responses to it. If all goes well, it should be going into production this spring or summer, priced in the range US$200 to $300 … bamboo punting pole presumably included.
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