Germans Invent World’s First 4WD Pedal Powered Kart

Forget about mountain bikes; the newest trend in off-roading is called Trailcart and according to its creators, it’s the world’s first pedal-powered four wheel drive off-road vehicle. The Trailcart was conceived by Frank Fraune from Germany who caught the attention of the folks at AS Group when it was featured in a local newspaper.

Now AS Group is testing Trailcart prototypes and it shouldn’t be long before the first production karts hit the (off) road. Mind you, one of the first clients to get the Trailcart will be Land Rover that’ll use the 4WD pedal kart at the Land Rover Adventure Tour 2008 in Malaysia. -Continued

We don’t have all the technical details in our hands yet, but Treehugger notes that the Trailcart is built from high-end sportsbikes parts, including the Shimano Nexus 8 shifting system along with a double-action mechanical hydraulic braking system. In terms of weight, AS Group is targeting to keep it under 50 kg / 100 lbs which is the typical limit for bicycle racks on cars.

Even though we’re pretty sure that you’d probably be better off with a mountain bike –unless you’re going downhill or you have the stamina and strength of an Olympian athlete that is, the Trailcart does look like it could offer plenty of fun. Come to think of it, the way gas prices are going, if AS Group adds a couple of cup holders, we could actually see ourselves using it for our daily chores during those snowy winters here in MA.

Via: Trehugger , Source: Trailcart