Interested in trying an electric bike, but too attached to your traditional frame to part with it? Now there’s a solution for you – the GeoOrbital bike wheel. It’s a battery-powered tire that can replace a regular wheel on your bicycle, making your bike electric in just 60 seconds. The wheel comes in two sizes which should fit 95 percent of all adult bicycles and allows bikes to travel 20 miles per hour for up to 50 miles.

The wheel consists of a durable flat-proof tire, an aerospace-grade aluminum motor controller, a brushless DC motor, and a lithium-ion battery. Installing the motorized wheel requires no tools and can be done in less than a minute. Everything needed to power the bike is included in the wheel itself.

GeoOrbital has been tested with hundreds of bikes and is said to be compatible with nearly every model of bicycle. All that’s needed is a bike with a 26, 28, or 29-inch front wheel and rim brakes. The battery automatically recharges whenever the rider is moving but not using the battery – for instance, when you travel downhill, pedal, or slow to a stop.

The wheel has been successfully funded on Kickstarter, raising over $1.2 million dollars in backing, and is now available for preorder through GeoOrbital’s site. The wheel will set you back just shy of $800, with an expected delivery of February 2017.

Article from inhabitat.com

by Julie M. Rodriguez