# Rocket Bikes By Eva Rubenov | Published 2006-09-21 | Autos Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/rocket-bikes References: [techeblog](http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/video-rocket-bike) & [popsci](http://www.popsci.com/popsci/how20/f5dec714c2648010vgnvcm1000004eecbccdrcrd.html) Next time you find yourself struggling to get up a hill on your bike, remember this rocket bike. It's a rocket and a bike. Genius. **From SciFi:** For rocket designer Tim Pickens, a rocket on two wheels is the next best thing to a spaceship. “At heart we're a bunch of guys wanting to go to space, and we can't afford it,” says Pickens of himself and his rocket-scientist brethren, most of whom never get to ride their own creations. “Basically it's my own subscale space program.” Pickens, president of rocket-design firm Orion Propulsion, created his first rocket bike with fellow speed enthusiast Glenn May by bolting a 35-pound-thrust rocket engine to Pickens's bike—enough power for a gentle push down the road. That project didn't kill anyone, so Pickens got himself another bike and stepped it up, attaching a 200-pound-thrust engine capable of blasting him from 0 to 60 miles an hour in five seconds—fast enough to beat a [Porsche](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/porsche-ebike-cross) in a drag race. In fact, the rocket bike employs the same hybrid rocket technology as the suborbital spaceplane SpaceShipOne, whose propulsion system Pickens helped design. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 6.3/10 - Popularity: 89% | Activity: 91% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 70% men, 30% women - Primary generations: Millennial - Top markets: North America, Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Autos](https://www.trendhunter.com/autos) ## Key Themes ### Why This Trend Is Growing - **Rocket Bikes:** Opportunity for disruptive innovation in the transportation industry by combining rockets and bicycles. ### Industries Being Reshaped - **Transportation Industry:** Opportunity for disruptive innovation in the transportation industry by combining rockets and bicycles. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Sci-Fi-Inspired Superbikes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/akiraducati-superbike.md) - [AR-Equipped Electric Motorcycles](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/eyelights-rocket-one.md) - [Ultra-Fast Defense Division eBikes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/hipower-cycles-revolution-w.md) - [Hyper-Fast Electric Bikes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/lightning-motorcycles-tachyon-nb.md) - [Custom-Built Sci-Fi Series Motorcycles](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bumblebee-bike.md) - [Hybrid Balloon-Tired Motorbikes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/plan-b-motorbike.md) - [Premium Space-Themed E-Bikes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/f77-space-edition.md) - [Airborne Electric Motorcycle Designs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/kuickwheel-skyrider-x6.md) - [Snow-Faring Mountain Bikes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/motorized-mountain-bike.md)