A San Diego teenager is getting national attention for his invention that started as a sixth grade science project.
On Friday’s episode of “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” the late night host and “Hunger Games” actor Liam Hemsworth raced through an obstacle course on Leaux Racing Trikes. The high-tech tricycles can spin and swivel.
“We will be riding these low-riding trikes. They can drift sideways and do crazy spins,” Fallon told the audience. “They were invented by this 16-year-old kid in San Diego. He Kickstarted these bikes. Now they’re selling like crazy.”
That San Diego kid is Tyler Hadzicki of Coronado.
“What I wanted to capture was the speed of a bike but also have the maneuverability of something with castors, the spinning wheels like a wave board," Tyler told NBC 7.
The San Diego State freshman first came up with the idea in middle school and brought his invention to life through the crowd-funding website Kickstarter, where he raised 311 percent above his original goal.
Tyler said seeing his racing trike on national TV was “probably one of the coolest moments of my life.”
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“It was surreal for me. I couldn't believe that Jimmy Fallon called out my product on live TV in front of this huge show,” he said.
Tyler’s dad Joe has been there for the whole ride.
“That's like the biggest show at night, and he's pretty funny. So it was really fun to see that and actually to watch it with my kids and see how excited they are about it," Joe Hadzicki said.
What would Tyler’s advice be for aspiring teen inventors? He said it’s a lot of work but well worth it.
