The Zike, or Sinclair Zike, is a lightweight electric bicycle invented by Clive Sinclair and marketed by his company Sinclair Research Ltd in 1992. It was a commercial failure, selling only 2,000 units while originally intended to be produced at the rate of 10,000 a month. It was ended six months after introduction.
Design
The Sinclair Zike is a portable bicycle with a small electric motor driving the rear wheel and with batteries built into its frame. It weighs 11 kg (24 lb). The batteries fit inside the central shaft together with the motor. The two-wheeler utilizes nickel–cadmium batteries, which weigh half as much as the typical lead–acid batteries used in 20th-century electric vehicles and can withstand 2000 recharging cycles. The batteries can be fully recharged by plugging them into the mains for just one hour, The price (mail order) was £499, comparable with a top of the range tourer or mountain bike at that time. The initial production target was 10,000 Zikes a month.
Sinclair himself moved on to the development of the Sinclair ZETA (Zero Emission Transport Accessory)—a detachable powerpack intended to sit on the wheel of any bicycle to help power it along.
Reviews
The reviews for the Zike in the British press were somewhat negative (possibly in part due to memories of the C5 which preceded it). Susan Watts for The Independent called it "an impressive feat of miniaturisation" but stated that "a quick test ride suggested the Zike is too unstable and lacking in power to make a cyclist feel secure on the nightmarish roads of London."