Rhino-Bike passes first test

The newly electrified Rhino-Bike has passed its first test, a five-mile ride in Surrey.

"Pot holes, deep ruts and lateral striations," reports rhino-biker Andy Lindsay. "The bike rattled and shook fit to bust but miraculously held together. The new motor kit was very impressive."

"What new motor kit?" you ask. Or possibly even: "What is a rhino-bike? And why should I care?"

Back in December, Velocity threw its support behind Andy Lindsay's attempt to raise awareness and funding for Save the Rhino International. We were struck equally by his passion for the poor, endangered beasts and the ecccentricity of the rhino-bike (pictured) itself. It's a ridiculously but appropriately heavy contraption to which Lindsay has added an electric motor, to make possible a 50-mile ride from South London to Bedfordshire's Whipsnade Zoo, home to southern white and greater one-horned rhinos.

"I couldn't have hauled all that weight up long steady gradients without massively holding up traffic and putting myself at risk of a heart attack," Lindsay told Velocity after his test ride. "The LCD, five bar battery display dropped two bars by the end of the ride, which seems quite a lot. But I did manage to get up to an impressive 37KPH top speed."

With a few more tweaks and plenty of training, the rhino-bike and biker will both be ready for the ride on World Rhino Day, 22 September. If you'd like to join and/or support Andy, email him here.