Jyrobike
Bicycle with a special front wheel
title: "Jyrobike" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["cycle-types", "physical-activity-and-dexterity-toys"] description: "Bicycle with a special front wheel" topic_path: "general/cycle-types" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jyrobike" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Bicycle with a special front wheel ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/Gyrobike1.jpg" caption="child riding the Gyrobike"] ::
A Jyrobike{{cite web | url = http://www.jyrobike.com/blog/reason-for-the-name-change | title = Reason for the name change | publisher = Jyrobike | accessdate = 2014-03-13}} (formerly known as Gyrobike{{cite web | url = http://www.gizmag.com/gyrobike-3-in-1-training-system-for-kids/23833/ | title = Gyrobike training system heads to Europe | author = Paul Ridden | date = August 22, 2012 | publisher = GizMag | accessdate = 2014-03-13}}) is a bicycle with a special front wheel designed to make balancing easier. It was manufactured and sold by a company of the same name.
The special front wheel contains a rotating flywheel driven by a rechargeable-battery-powered motor that spins at high RPMs like a gyroscope. This flywheel spins significantly faster than the front wheel rolls and acts as a gyroscope, even when the bike is moving slowly, such as when the rider is starting. The flywheel causes the front wheel to respond to a lean by precessing, that is the front wheel turns toward the direction of the lean, which can help provide stability at low speeds, whether riding straight or turning.{{cite web | url = http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/mechanics/bicycle.html | title = The Bicycle Wheel as a Gyroscope | publisher = R Nave, Georgia State University | accessdate = 2014-03-13}}{{cite web | url = http://www.dclxvi.org/chunk/tech/trail/ | title = An Introduction to Bike Geometry and Handling | publisher = Megulon Five at dclxvi.org | accessdate = 2014-03-13}}
Jyrobike technology was intended to help children and adults learning to ride a bicycle, and people lacking confidence in their balance and mobility skills.
History
The inventors of the technology which the original Gyrowheel was based on were Debbie Sperling, Hannah Murnen, Nathan Sigworth, and Augusta Niles, who conceived and tested the concept between 2004 and 2007 as part of a graduate project at the Thayer School of Engineering. Their invention won the 2006 Break Through Award from Popular Mechanics.{{cite magazine | url = http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/4199262 | title = SLIDESHOW: Photos from the 2006 Breakthrough Awards | magazine = Popular Mechanics | accessdate = 2014-03-13}}
In 2010 Daniella Reichstetter, a fellow Dartmouth student, licensed the technology from the inventors and set up a company based in San Francisco, USA called The Gyrobike Inc.{{cite web | url = https://www.tuck.dartmouth.edu/newsroom/articles/reinventing-the-wheel | title = Reinventing the wheel | publisher = Tuck School of Business | accessdate = 2014-03-13}} The company launched a working model based on the initial invention, called Gyrowheel, which was a stand-alone front wheel toy accessory that replaced the conventional bicycle front wheel. The company communicated ‘once attached, Gyrowheel transforms a normal bicycle into a Gyrobike’. This message led to confusion{{cite web | url = http://www.movemee.com/gyro-bike-gyro-wheel-the-best-training-wheel/ | title = GYRO BIKE & GYRO WHEEL – THE BEST TRAINING WHEEL | publisher = Move Mee | accessdate = 2014-03-13}} because the inventors never engineered a complete Gyrobike bicycle nor did the company sell bicycles or Gyrobikes, but only the front wheel. Gyrowheel was manufactured in 12" and 16" wheel sizes, and was marketed as a toy accessory for children.
Gyrowheel was rated a “Top Toy” of Toy Fair 2010 in New York by industry.{{cite web | url = http://www.popsci.com/gadgets/gallery/2010-02/best-toy-fair-2010/?image=7 | title = Gallery: Best of Toy Fair 2010 | publisher = Pop Science | accessdate = 2014-03-13}}
In October 2013 UK-based entrepreneur Robert Bodill acquired the intellectual property rights, then raised capital funding and set up Jyrobike Limited in December 2013. The Gyrobike trademark is owned by Jyrobike Limited, which holds global patents for a “system for providing gyroscopic stabilization to a two- wheeled vehicle”,{{cite web | url = https://patents.google.com/patent/US7314225 | title = System for providing gyroscopic stabilization to a two-wheeled vehicle | publisher = Google | access-date = 2014-03-13}} protecting the invention.
In 2014, Jyrobike launched a Kickstarter campaign that raised $185,818 from 872 supporters.{{cite web | url = https://www.crowdfundinsider.com/2015/02/62710-jyrobike-leaves-supporters-in-limbo-project-goes-dark-with-1850000-from-crowdfunding/ | title = Jyrobike Leaves Supporters in Limbo; Project Goes Dark with $185,0000 from Crowdfunding | date = February 13, 2015 | author = Samantha Hurst | publisher = Crowdfund Insider | accessdate = 2019-07-16}} On November 25, 2014, Team Jyrobike announced a 9-month delay in delivering bikes.{{cite web | url = https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/529668138/jyrobike-auto-balance-bicycle/updates | title = Jyrobike - Auto Balance Bicycle | date = November 25, 2014 | author = Team Jyrobike | publisher = Kickstarter.com | accessdate = 2019-07-16}} That was their last update. As of July, 2019, the jyrobike.com url is no longer active.{{cite web | url = http://jyrobike.com | title = This domain jyrobike.com may be for sale. Click here for more details | accessdate = 2019-07-16}}
References
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::