Cycling is one of the best ways you can exercise. But... what if it wasn't? What if you didn't need to exercise or even exert physical energy to ride a bike? That dream/nightmare is coming closer to reality thanks to a successful Kickstarter that lets you hit 20 MPH on your bike without breaking a sweat.
You can put the GeoOrbital Wheel on the bike you've already got. It's got a Li-ion battery that plugs into an aluminum core, which has a brushless DC motor that spins the wheel. Unlike some e-bike technology where the power only boosts your pedaling, this one will push your bike with you pedaling at all.
The wheel is powerful. It can get up to 20 MPH within six seconds, and can maintain that speed for 20 to 50 miles depending on which wheel size you get. The battery is 36 volts and is both removable and rechargeable via USB.
The Wheel hit its goal of $75,000 on Kickstarter in 78 minutes has raised nearly nine times that amount since then, with still more than a month left to go. With that sort of success, GeoOrbital might have larger ambitions than a wheel. In its recent TechCrunch Disrupt demo, founder Michael Burtov walks through the history of his company with a nonchalance, then suddenly perks up at the end as he showcases what he calls a "mini-Penny Farthing." Because the GeoOrbital Wheel operates independently from the rest of the bike, it doesn't really need the other components. He doesn't discuss any specifics, but notes that this freedom allows for the creation of "funky vehicles."
"The world is our oyster," he concludes, "and we made a wheel." Don't be surprised if you GeoOrbital starts challenging traditional bike design soon.
David Grossman is a staff writer for PopularMechanics.com. He's previously written for The Verge, Rolling Stone, The New Republic and several other publications. He's based out of Brooklyn.
