RedShark is back to their wild ‘cycling-on-the-water’ ways, with the new BoardBike that takes their original bike-boat concept and makes it lighter, more sporty, more affordable & a whole lot easier to travel with. Like the original RedShark Trimaran, this new BoardBike is offered in several different models – from a more affordable inflatable fitness setup, to a premium full carbon racing model… now you just have to find someone to race!
RedShark BoardBike, packable pedal-powered boats
Introduced just last spring, the original RedShark Trimaran was a crazy concept. That one had a three-part rigid hull with something akin to a fitness bike trainer mounted on top. Sit on the RedShark and pedal away, and a sealed gearbox at the bottom bracket drives a propeller in the base, with a rudder controlled by standard handlebars for steering.
Now RedShark has made riding on the water easier to manage with a new family of three BoardBikes, essentially mounting the same bike frame & drivetrain on a couple of different oversized paddleboards.
RedShark Bike Board Sport & Fitness with inflatable decks
By moving away from the short tri-hull design to a longer, single board, the RedShark BoardBikes are meant to have more of a bike-like feel on the water (which requires balance due to the relatively high center of gravity of bike + rider). That means they might be slower to turn on the water (the main rudder is still directly under the fork; and the propeller is still directly under the cranks), but they become much more maneuverable on dry land.
Slap a couple of rollers on the back and tow it around like a kayak. Or in the case of the Sport & Fitness models, you can now let the air out of the inflatable board and back it down into a travel duffel.
When you disconnect the upper bike frame from the board, you can easily carry it over your shoulder, and even transport the frame on many standard bike racks.
The inflatable base is available with two different entry-level options – the 2475€ Bike Board Fitness & 2685€ Bike Board Sport. The main difference between the two is that the white-framed Fitness has a more upright position with a wide riser bar, while the black Sport features an aero road dropbar for a more forward position.
Both share the same three chamber inflatable board, the same fiber-reinforced composite frame in one size (but with four adjustable fits). The Sport model also includes both the standard propeller & a second higher output prop.
RedShark Bike Board Race with lightweight rigid carbon deck
If that doesn’t sound sporty enough for you, RedShark also has a no-holds-barred Race model that sells for 9875€.
It swaps out the plastic-based bike frame for a full-carbon model, and replaces the inflatable hull for a lighter, carbon fiber alternative. The Bike Board Race also gets a set of carbon pursuit-style time trial bars and a carbon saddle.
All three models are available direct from RedShark. You can even try one before you buy one, from the Costa Brava HQ in Spain on the Mediterranean coast.
More affordable than most bikes we test, it might be time for us to take one out for a test spin. The planet is 71% covered with water after all…
