Have you ever wondered what it would be like to cycle... on water?
A couple from Norfolk are getting ready to launch Buoyancy Bikes.
Last updated 9th Apr 2021
A family run hire firm have set up a new and fun way to explore the best of Norfolk Broads.
Laura Calver, 31, and her husband Simon, 35, are set to launch Buoyancy Bikes in Wroxham on 24th April.
LISTEN: Laura Calver tells us more about the Buoyancy Bikes...
Mrs Calver said the idea came to her husband in a dream: "It sounds so cheesy but Simon just woke me up and said what do you think of this?
"I was like it’s ridiculous o'clock in the morning right now I don’t think anything.
"Simon has definitely pushed it more than I did, but that’s what he’s like he has a vision and he goes for it."
The bikes offer a unique way to travel along the Broads while enjoying the outdoor scenery, with the occasional spot of a kingfisher.
Mrs Calver said: "It’s a different way to see the Broads, as well as being safer as it’s nice and high up where you can be seen, and it’s great exercise.
"It’s been brilliant, it’s been a lot more positive than we expected it to be.
"It’s been quite nice as it’s been positive right from mine and my husbands age at early 30s and younger, right up to people who are retired as well, and we hadn’t quite expected it would be for everyone."
The bicycles are mounted on two hard-shelled floats, pedal powered and steered by the handlebars, which control a fin below the waterline.
It may seem like a pandemic isn't the best time to set up a business, but Mrs Calver told us she isn't too concerned: "It was worrying but with the restrictions on travel, I think we’re going to be quite a lot more popular as people are going to be happy to stay at home and around their local area, or at least stay within the country.
"So, we think we have quite a good market for it.
"My husband already has his own business, so we weren’t too bad. It is totally different from this, but we knew a little bit about what we were doing."
While they’re currently operating with five bikes, the family hopes to expand to around 15 within the next couple of months and are considering the possibility of tandems and water pistols attached to the bikes.
The bikes will be priced at £25 for 1 hour with a customer’s loyalty card scheme introduced where you will be able to collect 1 stamp per hour of rental, with 8 stamps granting you 1 hour free.