Slacker spin

THE ONLY THING MISSING ON THE couchbike is a satellite TV hookup -- and a bumper sticker that says, “My other bike is a La-Z-Boy recliner.” The customized sofa was created by Brent Curry, owner of Bicycle Forest Inc., a Canadian company that specializes in renting unusual spoked vehicles, such as unicycles, kick bikes and cycles powered by rowing. The couchbike gets the most attention, though. When Curry and a pal from Norway took the contraption on its maiden voyage in August 2002, Canadian police stopped them three times. One officer merely wanted a photo, another ordered them to ride with helmets and the third was troubled by the mobile sofa’s width. At nearly 7 feet across, it’s 3 inches wider than a Lincoln Navigator. The constable let them go, but Curry concedes the couchbike’s bulk has hurt business. At his shop’s current location in Waterloo, Ontario, “there are few safe places to ride it,” he says. And transporting the wheeled couch is a logistical pain. Curry hopes to relocate to Ottawa, which offers better terrain for safe couchbiking. Perhaps that would also open the door for a mattress bike? “I suppose a bed bike would be the next step in the evolution of relaxed cycling,” Curry says. “However, I need to consider the ethical implications of introducing a device like that to an already chronically lethargic population.” Details and more photos of the couchbike at www.bikeforest.com.

-- Roy Rivenburg