+ L& W6 d8 r. Z" b! S9 H, wA seven-seater bicycle to bring back the joy of riding : h5 l8 A1 N/ d) d0 @ 3 H9 Y9 E# E! WLondon, Apr 6: A Dutch inventor has built a bicycle that can seat seven people. 4 k9 ?6 Z+ P! C d6 V: n7 @* ]
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The ConferenceBike, or CoBi, features seven seats in a circle and can travel at a maximum speed of 15mph. ) n' z$ ?# S4 _ S
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The German-made bike has Porsche-engineered steering, foot pedal-controlled hydraulic brakes, a separate parking brake and lights.& K: ?4 [9 i' q; n3 [6 p! a
9 |, n& \( M1 s8 _, rAll seven riders can pedal, although the bike, which uses three motorbike wheels, can still move if one or more riders fancy a breather. But one of the riders always has to man the steering wheel. ) E2 `& ]) s8 c: Z ) e: C% V5 H/ U) O& A* jThough the bike costs a whopping 5500 pounds plus shipping, Eric Staller, its inventor from Amsterdam believes it will be a success as it is the world's most sociable mode of transport. 7 p7 C( g: v6 H/ m1 q- A$ Z7 P3 S' y1 G8 T" _+ C
"People need this bike. I think people are ready to get out of their cars and off their sofas and get silly. It lowers inhibitions and after a few minutes even complete strangers begin talking to each other. People have even fallen in love on these bikes. And you move along on your own energy - renewable energy," the Daily Mail quoted Staller as saying., Z1 C- q! k5 X- T