The Manta5 is a cross between an e-bike, a boat, and an airplane. It works like this: instead of wheels on either side of the bike, theres a set of carbon fiber hydrofoils. When you pedal it, water passes over the wings, creating a little lift and keeping the Manta5 above the surf. Its technically the same tech they use in Americas Cup sailboats. Science!
Now, you may expect such a dorky thing to look like a piece of junk (Star Wars anyone?), but the Manta5 is super sleek looking. It looks like, well, a nice bike: a clean white body, black neck, and white handlebars.
But just because the Manta5 is motorized doesnt mean it does all the work for youyou get an extremely solid cycling workout. You can actually set how much you want the electric motor to help you out on the water, from low to high assist. You can even ride it in choppy water (just make sure to pound that pedal).
Because its motorized, it does have a batterybut itll last you about five hours on a low-assist mode, one hour on high-assist. More than enough time for a tour, but not enough for a marathon. Plan accordingly.
The downside to all this cool stuff: youll have to drop some serious cash. Which, to be frank, we totally expected. The list price goes for $7,490and you wont get it until the summer at the earliest.
Still, we think of it as the perfect summer splurge. After all, how many people can say they did their summer bike tour on the ocean?