If a skateboard that doubles as a stroller is a little too extreme for your parenting modus operandi, then perhaps a trusty old bicycle might be more to your liking. The Salamander Bicycle Stroller aims to keep parents on the move by providing a two-wheeled way of getting around town and quickly converting into a stroller when they reach their destination.
- Much like the Taga we covered way back in 2008, the Salamander looks to combine the advantages of a bicycle and stroller to make for a highly practical, multipurpose people carrier. It is a 7-speed folding cargo bike with a large enough compartment at the front to seat two children and a retractable bug and rain screen for shelter.
The idea is that the rider can glide around town with the little ones up front, and then when the time comes to enter a store, subway station or restaurant, they can hop off and switch to stroller mode in a matter of seconds.
The N-folding mechanism allows the Salamander's rear end to be pulled up and in alongside the front, then the separate wheel that sits on the outside of the seating compartment is lowered to the ground and voilà, you've got yourself a sturdy three-wheeled baby cart. The Salamander can accommodate children up to 46 in (116 cm) tall and 79 lb (36 kg), and the seats are padded with belts should the ride get a little bumpy.
With Shimano Nexus gears, 20-inch alloy wheels and a steel frame, the makers have settled on their final design after around five years of tinkering. They are now running aKickstarter campaign to raise funds for commercial production, which apparently isn't coming cheap. Early pledges of CAD$6,000 (US$4,393) will have a Salamander heading your way in July if the campaign runs as planned.
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