Bad Product Ideas #203: Bicycle Bungee

Innovative products are great; they can make things easier, more convenient, cheaper, faster, etc. Unfortunately, not all innovative products are created equal: some are just downright stupid.

Take for instance this weeks Bad Product Idea #203: the Bicycle Bungee. For only $200 dollars you can own a retractable bungee cord to hook your bike together with your riding partner. The concept being that stronger riders will pull along weaker ones and allow riders of different skills to ride together.

An admirable goal, no doubt, however, $200 seems a bit steep for something that you could probably cobble together in your garage for $40 and a couple hours of labor. Going beyond that, the bike bungees seems so… dangerous.

What happens if either rider crashes? The rear rider gets going faster than the front rider on an incline? The cord gets caught on a branch? A stampeding herd of koala bears clotheslines themselves on the cord? I could go on, but in the interest of getting to the actually video I will spare you all of the horrible “what if” scenarios that surround this product. Enjoy (added video bonus: ripping NZ Accent):

I wonder how many of these things have been sold. If anyone wants to throw $200 away, I can give you an address.