Imagining Bikes - Conceptualizing

When I first started down this road, there was the sound of someone saying "What is the question?" Not that I was hearing voices, but I had heard someone or read somewhere of someone pointing this out. It's not the answers one should be looking for but the actual question. The answers become self evident once the true question is brought into the light of mind. In practice, this has proven correct for me over the years.
Now, if anyone ever reads this other than myself, let me just point out that I'm all for intelligence. I've met some very intelligent people, and I've met some intelligent enlightened people. Then there were others that I would fondly call those that have access to knowledge and delightfully dance upon the light. Very special people.
I used to have to sit in management meetings and listen to people brainstorming, or attempting to, and in frustration finally ask just what is the question they were asking? Then I would point out that the topics they were viewing as negative weren't necessarily negative if they could see other parts to the question. Just trying to get them to "do the math" so to speak of melting a problem down to its' smallest components and then disassemble the smallest parts one at a time. Then, keeping an eye of the larger end product, create the components. Sort of like mapping.
Then, if you can come out of a meeting like this with something in hand,, a road map of where you are to go and what you need to do, then it has been a valuable meeting. If this doesn't happen, it has been a waste of time. In the usual hierarchical structure of corporations and smaller companies even, uttering these words will get you the door. As it did me many a time.
People may be intelligent about some subjects but usually not about all. Few can dance upon the light, and I'm not one of those.
I would guess, at this time, at this point in time, it is more important for me to develop maps in my mind for operating day to day. For instance, I had a teacher in my senior year in high school that managed to get me out of the clutches of a provincial system inside of the school, and into his class, college prep English. Ruffling feathers all of the way, he even personally "appropriated" an extra desk by himself, hauling it up three flights of stairs so that I could attend his class. As school had already been in session for some period of maybe a month or so, my schoolmates were kind of surprised to suddenly find me amongst them but didn't speak of it. Mr. Pearson then directed me to the school library to check out a book called, "Thirteen Common Fallacies of Logical Thinking", by Stuart. As I had worked in the library for a couple of years, I hadn't recalled ever seeing this book. Going to the library, the head librarian questioned why I was out of class, and I told her why. She looked at me quizzically, I remember. Upon finding the book, I was piqued at the small book and looked at the copyright date. It was in the 1800's or maybe earlier. As I checked myself out, I looked up the history of the book and found that it had never been checked out. Puzzled further, I returned to class with book in hand.
Mr. Pearson informed me that I was to read the book and report to him the next day. He was planning on quizzing me. I thought, okay, another test and no big deal.
The next day, the class was having a discussion on the homework assignment given to all and Mr. Pearson stopped the discussion, and said, Mr. Coleman, what is going on with this logic? In front of everyone, I had to recall, and explain, the illogic behind what was being said. Once I had done so, he would then turn to the class, and say, "Please continue", only to stop them when they steered off of the path of logic into another pitfall and "quiz" me again. So it went for the rest of the school year.
I have too older brothers who could do no wrong when we were growing up and they had attended Mr. Pearson's English prep course but in remembering the history of the book, it had been in the library for years and had never been checked out. They had never mentioned it nor had I seen them bring it home. A small booklet really, more like a hardbound thick pamphlet. It is still in print today.
When we envision a bicycle, what do we see in the mind? What is our question? Do we see automatically the safety bicycle? Are do we see the question of how to get from here to there in comfort, in the most efficient manner our technology can bring us? The given to the equation is the human body can produce, measured, a quarter of a horsepower for short periods of time. Other "givens" are that over eighteen miles an hour, you begin spending more energy pushing air than going faster; inclement weather happens; hills, for most of us, happen; wind is a constant factor; for many of us for part of the year, we need light to see by; wheels spin up debris; for most of us, we ride on paved roads; many of us, if we depend on human power, need a way to haul loads; most of us have to share the road with motorized vehicles.
If we take these premises and apply the last hundred year's advancement of technology, forgetting the notion that the safety bicycle design is the end of its' design cycle, what can we come up with?
Will we apply the latest knowledge of say, a charged skin on an object can create a slipstream effect for a vehicle? Can we apply stand alone energy systems for power assist when needed without weight? Can the latest in drive trains be incorporated? Can the latest in coating technology be applied to wear surfaces? Can the maintenance cycle for bicycles/tricycles be extended, and if so, how far for the cost? Could we use ceramic bearings with the latest in high strength stainless steels? Could we create and manufacture cheap HPVs? Can the nanotechnology advances apply the surfaces or coatings which would shed dirt as in the lotus petal design?
In short, can we effectively sever the chains of comment that the safety bike is the finite of the design of the bicycle and move/apply technologies to apply for consumers waiting for product?
I feel we can, if we have a plan. And, financially, we can pay for these advances.