Wheelskates, from company Chariot Skates, look more like some kind of medieval torture device – designed to painfully separate femur from knee – than a new kind of leisure activity. The skates are billed as something between in-line skates, skis, and a bike, and allow you to careen speedily across terrain normally off-limits to small-wheeled roller-skates. But enough of that. You want to see a video of them in action, right?
They look like a lot of fun, and remind me of 1970s UK TV kids show Chorlton and the Wheelies.
It’s tricky to see from the video, but the skates just have one large wheel each. Your legs are strapped in to a series of torsion and leg-supporting struts (made from carbon fiber), placing the feet below the wheel axles for stability. Equilibrium is further helped by putting your weight, and point of balance, onto the balls of the feet, exactly where they would be on pair of bike pedals (assuming you are riding properly).
The FAQ tells us that experienced skaters will be up and rolling in no time, and that the Wheelskates are no harder to learn that regular ‘blades are for novices. It also tells us that there are no brakes, and that they are faster than regular street-skates. This is not surprising as Chariot Skates is based in Australia, home of people who seem to be very good at sports, and home to a large proportion of the world’s deadliest critters. In short, the Australians laugh at danger.
The skates are still being tested, but a launch is planned for February 2010. Price is as yet unknown, but likely to be closer to the cost of a carbon fiber bike than of a pair of cheap inline skates.
Wheelskates [Chariot Skates via Oh Gizmo]
