|
“A revolutionary sports, fun and fitness machine…”
“…absolutely addicting…”
“…closest thing to skiing on pavement…”
“…compact maintenance-free machine that fits into every aspect of one’s lifestyle..”
No, these are not comments about a new gym equipment available on a TV shopping channel, but they could be. These are just some things that people are saying about the Trikke scooter – undoubtedly the newest rising star of human powered vehicles or HPVs. The Trikke scooter never fails to amaze anyone who watches its riders zoom gracefully along. Pedestrians will even stop the Trikke riders in order to satisfy their curiosity. And the most common question is, “What makes that thing run?”
As soon as someone steps into the Trikke and experiences its innovative three-point cambering vehicle or 3CV technology for him/herself, s/he is usually unable to stop commenting on the Trikke’s many benefits. But did you know that the Trikke was developed because of man’s desire to experience the fun of ‘carving’ (a snowboarder’s term for turning back and forth on a slope) on a more stable and safer device?
During the late 1980’s, Brazilian inventor Gildo Beleski tried to learn skateboarding and roller skating, but to his frustration, he kept falling and had a hard time trying to keep his balance. As an engineering graduate from the Brazilian Institute of Technology, Beleski used his technical background in designing and manufacturing suspension parts and power trains for compact vehicles to create a three-wheeled vehicle for riding downhill. By 1988, 1988, he finished his first Trikke prototype that combines the stability of three wheels and brakes with a contemporary frame designed to enhance the Trikke rider’s ability to lean or camber. He called it Trikke (pronounced \’trik\), similar to a bike, only with three wheels. When he tested the Trikke, he discovered that it continued to move forward on flat ground beyond the bottom of the hill as long as he kept turning and leaning.
In 1990, Beleski attempted to market his first version of the Trikke scooter. However, much to his disappointment, the Trikke sales failed to pick up in his own country. So by 1992, he was forced to give up on the Trikke’s initial design. But on one of his trips to the US in the late 1990s, he realized that the place was ripe for the introduction of a new cambering device while watching many people trail the Miami beach paths with their human powered vehicles (HPVs). He was then inspired to resume work on his design and opened Trikke Tech in Buellton, California in 2000. On the same year, he filed the patents for his Trikke cambering system and both of them were accepted in 2001.
The year 2000 proved to be a fruitful year for Beleski with a chance meeting of entrepreneur and trend-setter John Simpson. Simpson became interested in the Trikke scooters when he saw Beleski riding his earlier version of the Trikke scooter as he was exiting his favorite sushi bar in Santa Monica. Simpson. At first, Simpson admittedly thought that the Trikke looked ungainly and ridiculous. But when he saw how it easily moved without any propellers, he chased down Beleski and his Trikke scooter. He became a great supporter of the Trikke after experiencing for himself its fun and fitness aspects. As a true entrepreneur, Simpson saw the Trikke’s potential and became an investor in Trikke Tech that same year. Beleski later asked him to become Trikke Tech’s president in 2002. Soon after, they successfully launched the scooter to the American public.
Since its unveiling, the Trikke has rapidly gained popularity, gaining attention from the international media after it bagged Time Magazine’s “Coolest New Inventions of 2002″ title. Hollywood celebrity’s acceptance and support further bolstered its popularity as Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt, Jim Belushi, Jim Carey, and Ben Affleck were seen riding their Trikke scooters as part of their exercise regimen, using it as an inter-studio vehicle, and even zooming on Trikkes in their movies.
From less than a million annual sales in 2002, Trikke’s sales boomed to $10 million in 2003 and about $50 million in 2004. With a plethora of extremely talented executives recruited by John Simpson, Trikke Tech aims to establish a brand with numerous innovations that will become a mainstay among the recreational transport devices for many years to come. They also aim to establish the Trikke scooter as a serious platform for competition.
Presently, the Trikke scooter’s market has already expanded to include Canada, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, as well as nearly every major country in Europe. Trikke Tech continues to refine its product’s performance to meet the requirements of all age groups from all walks of life as seen by its version 2 which was introduced in the fall of 2003 and the appearance of more products in the ensuing years. The Trikke is now rapidly gaining fame and acceptance, made popular for its safety, stability and ease of use over other HPVs like skateboards, rollerblades and the like. Try it out yourself and experience what everyone is talking about.
See the showroom.
|
