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Pedal (and app) powered advertising service pays you to ride your bike - in Newcastle

Local business can advertise through AdBike - while cyclists can earn money while they ride

Two business students in Newcastle are launching a scheme that will let cyclists earn money while riding their bikes by carrying advertising on the frame and wheels.

Called AdBike, vinyl stickers advertising local businesses will be attached to plastic boards that fit on the wheels and in the triangle formed by the top, down and seat tubes, reports Chronicle Live.

The initiative, targeted primarily at students who ride bikes, has been devised by Sergey Elizarov, aged 22, and Nikita Zolotukhin, 21, who hope to eventually expand it to other cities.

An app that works on both iOS and Android devices records the time and distance travelled, with cyclists earning ‘points’ that translate into hard cash – and which can vary, for example more are awarded for a campaign targeted at a particular area.

Users have to not only ensure they start an app when they begin a trip, but also need to take a photo of their bike before and after, to prove they did the journey with the advertising in place.

Once a campaign finishes, the riders bring their bike back to AdBike so the next campaign can be mounted on it.

Zolotukhin said: “Say you’re a student living in Jesmond, and five days a week you cycle to campus and back.

“We estimate you could make about £40 a month, just for the journeys you were doing anyway.

 “And if you make more journeys, you’ll earn more.”

Since their business has not yet been registered, the founders have been unable to monetise their venture, but are raising awareness through bikes carrying their own branding – although ultimately, they believe it could be as popular as apps such as Uber.

“This is a really good city to start in, we’ve got plans to expand across the North of England next, starting in Manchester,” Zolotukhin added.

More information about AdBike can be found on its website, where prospective riders are told: “Forget the stress of trying to balance working life with the student lifestyle and your studies, and simply jump on your bike and start cycling!

“This is a different option for students who like keeping fit and healthy, or care about the environment, or simply want to try something new.

“Forget part time bar jobs that keep you up all night, forget the nightmare of retail handling customers all day long and forget attempting to scrape together some money from recycling your old textbooks – try AdBike instead.

“This is a great opportunity for the many students who get around our lovely city via bike, if you're already cycling around Newcastle upon Tyne, then why not get paid to do it?”

Using bikes to advertise is a concept almost as old as the bicycle itself, of course, although we’re increasingly seeing a high-tech approach such as through ad panels in London.

> London cyclists can earn while they ride - with digital ad panels

By contrast, the bike we reported on earlier this week advertising restaurant chain Wagamama was a distinctly lo-fi example – and the business was criticised by cyclists for taking up a bike parking space, among other things.

> Wagamama advertising bike criticised

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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8 comments

Avatar
DavidC | 8 years ago
0 likes

Why not just put the advertisers' names on a shirt and pay someone to wear the shirt? Could that ever become popular?

Avatar
mark-s | 8 years ago
1 like

I live in Newcastle and have seen one of these bikes (is there more than 1?), however as they're always moving I have never been able to read the text until now.

Avatar
Sergey Elizarov replied to mark-s | 8 years ago
0 likes

mark-s wrote:

I live in Newcastle and have seen one of these bikes (is there more than 1?), however as they're always moving I have never been able to read the text until now.

 

Hi, Mark! We are still developing our idea. We did few tests with 15 bikes, regarding wind and visability. Check this video out:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n2ESKy7g-I
 

We have really great coverage and impacts with these ads. Especially when you see them for several times, and these are just 15 bikes in Newcastle. Can you imagine around 50 or even more bikes around city centre?

We are developing new innovative way to prevent wind effect and will probably use LED on the wheels directly as well) 

 

Avatar
RedfishUK | 8 years ago
2 likes

"vinyl stickers advertising local businesses will be attached to plastic boards that fit on the wheels and in the triangle formed by the top, down and seat tubes,"

As when you are travelling the wheels are going around (sometime quite fast) and your legs will cover the triangle...how will anyone read the advert??

Avatar
Sergey Elizarov replied to RedfishUK | 8 years ago
0 likes

RedfishUK wrote:

"vinyl stickers advertising local businesses will be attached to plastic boards that fit on the wheels and in the triangle formed by the top, down and seat tubes,"

As when you are travelling the wheels are going around (sometime quite fast) and your legs will cover the triangle...how will anyone read the advert??

 

Our target areas are within the city center, where there are a lot of traffic and traffic lights. While, for cyclists who ride fast and for long distances we are going to use LED on the wheels, to prevent wind and improve high speed visability. 

 

While parking is also a key advantage. Imagine the impact and coverage of hundred of bikes parked throughout the city center with our ads?

Avatar
brooksby replied to RedfishUK | 8 years ago
0 likes

RedfishUK wrote:

"vinyl stickers advertising local businesses will be attached to plastic boards that fit on the wheels and in the triangle formed by the top, down and seat tubes,"

As when you are travelling the wheels are going around (sometime quite fast) and your legs will cover the triangle...how will anyone read the advert??

I imagine that they'll just lock them up places (can I hear you say, "wagamama"?).

Avatar
gsavill90 (not verified) | 8 years ago
1 like

Locking it up would be tricky too!

Avatar
PaulBox | 8 years ago
2 likes

That'll be fun on windy days...

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