Sperm Bike Draws Stares in Seattle

A motorized bicycle shaped like  sperm has turned heads in Seattle as it shuttles back and forth between a sperm bank and two clinics.

It’s not carrying the precious cargo just yet, but it will in about two weeks, said Gary Olsem, managing director of the Seattle Sperm Bank.

“Right now, we’re doing practice runs, and we’re already getting a ton of attention,” Olsem told ABCNews.com.  “It’s hard to get to and fro without people stopping us.”

The 10-foot-long, 120-pound bike can hold 25 to 30  samples in its giant sperm container, which has a cooling system built inside it.

The bike’s  motor allows it to reach a speed of 20 mph, making the navigation of Seattle’s hills a bit easier. The bike is the second of its kind. The first was the brainchild of the Seattle Sperm Bank’s sibling company, the European Sperm Bank, in Copenhagen.

Although it might seem like a quirky approach, Olsem said the bicycle is not only proving to be surprisingly efficient but is raising awareness.

“It is not only cutting CO2, but I think it’s really getting the word out about the need for sperm donors,” he said. “At first, people are shocked and suprised, but then they tell us what a great idea it is.”