Clip-on electric front wheel for bicycles
Ignore that the "Cyclemotor" electric bike conversion kit looks like a homebrew project — it sort of is. The inventors of the kit, Neodymics, haven't yet gotten the financial backing they need to make something salable. The hope is that commuters will find the ease of the conversion simple enough to use their own bikes, as the kit clips onto the front fork and bolts on a couple of controls to the handles.
There's one charming aspect to the design that I hope remains in a production model: the use of the standard DeWalt power tool battery pack to power the 1HP motor.
Product/Company Page [Neodymics.com via Gadget Lab via Bikehugger]
the latest
latest episodes
It only adds 40 pounds of extra weight!
Uh, wait a minute.
1 HP = 746 watts = 12 V * 62 A.
Has DeWalt invented a cordless drill battery that can do this? If so, why are they still mucking around in the cordless drill business?
The breakthru here seems to be the fact that it attaches and detaches like a quick-release wheel. That's a nontrivial improvement, actually; it makes switching back to normal bicycle considerably less painful.
Of course the other solution is to just get in shape and bike to work under your own power, if you're within range. I should figure out what the best route is.
Yo technogeek:
http://veloroutes.org/bikemaps/
enjoy!
Putting any sort of extra weight on your front wheel is almost always a bad idea, as the extra mass slows down reaction time if you need to swerve suddenly. Touring cyclists who know what they're doing put their lighter gear in the front panniers (if they even have any). I admire the home-brewish aspect of the design, but I still think that people that have trouble negotiating hills on a bike would be better off with a decently low granny gear.
It's a FWD bike, er, AWD I guess. If it's really 1hp, it should move pretty well with the small amount of weight of a bike/person combined.
Disassemble, reassemble. Stephanie GOOD!
Need more INPUT!