Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

news

Tesla’s Cybertruck inspires Olympic medallist to design futuristic e-bike trailer

The Cyberdrop, which is planned to go into production shortly, is said to be ideal for bike-packing trips

The design of Tesla’s much-publicised Cybertruck has inspired an Olympic silver medal-winning rower to devise an e-bike trailer that is touted as being perfect for bike-packing trips.

Jeremiah Brown, who wrote about his four-year journey from complete novice to member of the Canadian men’s eight crew at the London 2012 Olympic Games in his memoir The 4 Year Olympian: From First Stroke to Olympic Medallist, has called his creation the Cyberdrop (also the name of an unrelated file-sharing service).

His trailer’s front wheel incorporates a motor and claims to have a maximum range of 130 miles with a charge lasting eight hours.

Sleeping accommodation is provided in an eight-foot-long cabin that is 46 inches in height, and once in production, it is expected to be priced at around C$8,999 (£5,363).

Besides the three wheels, which benefit from full suspension, the Cyberdrop also has four legs which provide stability once it is deployed in camping mode.

Brown tows the prototype, which can also be equipped with solar panels to help extend battery life as well as powering the interior of the cabin, behind his Bullitt e-cargo bike, which together with the motor in the trailer itself provides the assistance needed to actually get it on the move.

He told Newatlas.com: “In 2021, I toured from Peterborough, Ontario to Newfoundland on a mountain bike that I converted into an e-bike with a large custom battery built to fill the inside area of my mountain bike frame.

“I had so much fun on that trip, but the one drawback was that I didn’t sleep well while tent camping each night.

“I looked at other products that had been brought to market, and really just wanted to buy a bicycle camper that would meet my requirements. But nothing out there met all my criteria.

“I wanted to have a consistent riding experience where I didn't have to worry about looking behind me every few minutes to make sure the trailer was OK.

“Riding with the Cyberdrop in tow is a pure joy, and puts a smile on my face and on the faces of so many people I pass on the road,” he added.

In September, our sister site eBikeTips featured a rather more rustic and less futuristic-looking trailer that also provides accommodation on bike-packing trips – the so-called Bike Cabin, featured in the video below.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

Add new comment

7 comments

Avatar
HoarseMann | 4 months ago
1 like

Of all the bike camper builds I've seen, Andrej Kaminiski's seems to me to be the most well thought out:

https://www.youtube.com/@andrzej-bike_camper/videos

The Cyberdrop looks interesting, but there's something like a 4kW motor on it and a large battery pack that needs charging regularly - it's stretching being an electric bicycle a bit!

Avatar
airwise | 4 months ago
6 likes

As an epileptic, who is now unable to ride anything other than an ebike, I love it. I'd get it just to **** off Britain's awful drivers.

Avatar
hawkinspeter | 4 months ago
4 likes

It might be the best performing trailer in the world, but having it associated with the Cybertruck is a bad idea. Imagine if someone thought that you were a Musk fanboy because you had this?

(I read a comment the other day that the Cybertruck was the Tesla version of "The Homer" car - where the designer is given freedom to do what they want without caring about how ugly it turns out)

Avatar
Oldfatgit | 4 months ago
5 likes

Difficult decision here...
Trailer that's just a sleeping compartment, or trailer that's a sleeping compartment and a *boat* ...

Glad both are out of my price range

https://insideevs.com/news/701165/betriton-trailer-amphibious-ebike-video/

Avatar
tigersnapper | 4 months ago
7 likes

Drivers hate caravans being towed by cars.  Imagine how this will go down on British roads yes.

Avatar
Oldfatgit replied to tigersnapper | 4 months ago
3 likes

2 motors on the bike and (at least) a third on the trailer... its probably going to be going faster than most caravans ...

Avatar
ubercurmudgeon replied to tigersnapper | 4 months ago
4 likes

At least it'll fit down narrow British roads, unlike the Cybertruck.

Latest Comments