Video: Projects like this revolutionary wheel set to win urban transport war

This new wheel can turn every bicycle into a commuting machine that will bring you up to 50 miles at 20 miles per hour on a single charge.

 

New ideas to get ahead in the exploding and lucrative E-bike market are, well, nothing new.

But every now and again something comes along that seems so simple and easy to use you really fancy its chances of leading the revolution.

The GeoOrbital wheel is one such project; each unit coming in at $950 but with a 48 per cent discount if ordered now.

And having launched a funding drive on Kickstarter in recent days it has already raised $340,000 despite its modest stated funding target of just $75,000.

And there are still 41 days remaining before that funding campaign comes to an end.

GeoOrbital claims the wheel and the control panel that clips onto the handlebars can be installed in less than 60 seconds.

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The company says its major selling point is that the wheel - which comes in two sizes - fits 95 per cent of bikes.

If your bike has a 26 inch, 28 inch or 29 inch front wheel that uses rim brakes, the GeoOrbital can be installed to replace your existing front wheel.

And once the small control panel - which connects to the wheel via a wire fastened to your frame and fork - you are on your way.

The wheels have a 500W Brushless DC motor which remains stationary. It means the motor pushes the rim around, rather than the whole wheel turning.

This design is already used in some motorbikes.

 

The motor pushes the rim around, rather than the whole wheel turning.

 

The 26inch model claims a recharge time of three hours and a top speed without pedalling of 20mph.

It is also claimed that if the rider uses the wheel without pedalling, it will carry them up to 12 miles on a single charge.

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And if the rider pedals, but uses the wheel to boost speed, the wheel will carry rider and bike up to 3o miles.

With the 700c model, the claimed recharge time is four hours, with a top speed without pedalling of 20mph.

And on one single charge the rider - depending on their weight - will be carried up to 20 miles without pedalling and up to 50 miles with pedalling.

The beauty of this idea is that you could buy one of these wheels for use every day or you could simply use it now and again for an occasional long commute that you may feel is out of your range - and would generate too much sweat - if tackled on a conventional bike with assistance.

The wheel will accelerate a bike from 0 to 20mph in just six seconds. And the tyre is also made from a puncture proof solid compound, with no inflated tube.

This would be ideal, for example, for families who wanted to get out and about and tackle a long stretch of one of Ireland's new greenways.

The bike fitted with a bike seat carrying a child could be given a speed boost with the installation of a GeoOrbital wheel while the other parent and other children could cycle their regular bikes.

But the real value here would appear to be extending a cyclist's commuting range hugely.

And it would also enable you to continue to go to work by bike and avoid traffic congestion, even if you had to wear and suit or formal clothes and/or couldn't afford to turn up sweaty.

Have a 20 mile journey to a job interview, work, or even a night out when you need to dress up? The GeoOrbital can get you there fast but still looking ready for business.

The possibilities for this in the developing world are endless.

Public transportation can be very poor, road surfaces nonexistent and yet long journeys to gather basic supplies or go to work, training or education can be a daily challenge.

But the GeoOrbital, and ideas like it, could revolutionise people's lives.

 

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Have a more detailed look

How the idea has evolved in the 18 months since the first crude prototype.