Housebikes: The Ultimate Independence

Hong Kong is a tough city to live in. Perhaps the most ruthless brand of capitalism is practiced there, and as a result rents are high, the cities are packed to the brim and pollution is rampant. Designer Casey Wong has responded by altering both his transportation and his way of living, fusing them into a new creation - the Housebike.

Wong's creation looks a bit like an old tin shack welded to the back of a bicycle ... well, that's pretty much exactly what it is. It represents ingenious use of space, however, packing the basics of living into an interior that measures only three feet by four. The housebike even has a desk and television, and a fold-out bed that requires the occupant to stick their feet and legs outside of the enclosure. It certainly doesn't look like the most comfortable home, but you can't beat the rent, and Wong plans to keep it along the beach for the ultimate in affordable ocean side property.

Predating Wong's design is American Brian Campbell's Housebike, almost a bit of an urban legend on the internet. The reclusive Campbell has built at least thirteen of these bikes, which he refers to as the "GeoFleet". The bikes are capable of pulling up to 500 pounds, and yet can go faster than a racing bike thanks to a 135-gear system. The living space of the GeoFleet bikes is constrained to about the size of a two-man tent, but it is fully enclosed and even employs efficient heating by reflecting body heat via urethane insulation while wicking away condensation through dehumidifying windows. The only difficulty, at least for the rest of the world, is that Campbell doesn't seem to have much interest in making them for anyone else, or showing others how to make them. Living a voluntarily homeless lifestyle in his bike, Campbell maintains neither phone number nor mailing address. Apparently the "Spirit of the Earth" told him to make these bikes, but the Spirit wasn't good enough to leave contact information while it was at it. Though only rare pictures of the bikes exist and plans have never been published, Campbell claims that he can build one of these housebikes for about $500 if it is made entirely from used parts.

Even before either of these designs, however, there was the Behemoth. The design of eccentric genius Steven Roberts, it is not strictly a housebike, but is designed to carry all the essentials of living and camping while also having an incredible technological rig with computers, GPS Satellite navigation, a cordless phone, VHF and radio communications equipment, ham radio, even a CD player and a security system to protect it all. We can safely assume Roberts stuck to rural areas with all this gadgetry, because if he'd rolled it into a big city it'd probably have been lifted onto the back of a truck the first time he parked it in an open area.

If you are feeling inspired to come up with your own housebike design, a good place to start is this long brainstorming thread over at BikeForums.