Recumbent' designed to run faster than cycle

VADODARA: These MS University (MSU) engineering students have made cycling a laid-back experience. Although the experience is laid-back as the name Recumbent', the cycle has been designed to run faster than a normal cycle.
Keval Parmar, Nandish Parmar, Gaurav Nehate and Krunal Mehta from mechanical department of technology faculty chose to select a simple concept for their final project.Their aim was to add features to simple machine to make it user-friendly.
"Cycle is the most common and cheapest means of transport. But, not many enjoy cycling these days owing to this craze of fast bikes and automatic kick-start scooters. So, we thought of working on bicycles," said Keval.
It took three months for them to research on various modifications and collection of body parts from scarp dealers. "While designing the vehicle, we wanted to reduce the level of stress cyclists face while riding it. We included a seat with a back rest, extended the middle body and increased height of peddles," added Nandish. "The advantage of riding a Recumbent is that it is made on ergonomic science. Proper ergonomic design is necessary to prevent repetitive strain injuries that can develop over time leading to long-term disability," shared Gaurav. "Our model is designed in such a way that it distributes the rider's weight over a larger area and it runs faster than traditional bicycle," added Krunal.
The team managed to put together the bicycle in just Rs 1,875, which is cheaper than the normal bicycle. While these students haven't decided on selling their idea to a company, they have already started getting orders from individuals.
"When we were test driving it on city roads there were many who were curious. Some also requested that we make similar models for their children. This reaction was very encouraging and now we are looking at adding batteries, so one does not have to peddle," said Keval.