Technology is about to come to the rescue of the beleaguered city cyclist, delivering a special ‘smart wheel’ which will add electric assistance to your riding.
Over recent years, there’s been a veritable explosion in the volume of the city cyclists. As the worlds leading cities look to bring in new, greener methods of transport, many people are increasingly turning towards the bicycle. Schemes like the ‘Boris bike’, which bring cheap rentable cycles to the mass market in London. The popularity of the Boris bike has led to New York introducing a similar scheme, and other global cities are following suit. All of this comes on top of cities like Amsterdam, where cyclists have been a well accepted part of the transport policy for years.
The problem is, cycling is not for everyone, least of all in busy urban environments. The bikes that are offered to the public on schemes like the Boris Bike are heavy and cumbersome, making cycling them a much bigger effort compared to the more modern roach bikes that are popular with experienced cyclists. Thats where the FlyKly Smart Wheel comes in.
The FlyKly is a simple enough device; it’s a circular pedal assistor which gives the cyclist a boost by providing electric-powered assistance. It simply clips onto the rear wheel of your bike, and gathers kinetic energy as you pedal. The faster you go, the more power it generates and thus is able to resupply back to you in order to assist with your pedalling.
As with all things ‘smart’ there’s more to it than merely being a piece of hardware which aids your cycling. ‘Smart’ devices are defined as offering a technological hook-up in order to add more value, and in this case it comes through GPS tracking of your rides and the ability to regulate top-speeds. All of this is achieved through the companion iOS and Android apps.
The FlyKly doesn;t just rely on the energy collected for your cycling – it also has its own power suppl that comes via its built-in lithium ION battery. This battery fully charges is 2-3 hours, and once charged is able to deliver 30 miles worth of 20 MPH riding. The battery will then re-charge itself as you travel, most noticeably when you go downhill, where the requirement to pedal hard to maintain speed is at its lowest.
So there you have it, a simple piece of technology which can totally transform the humble bike into a piece of fitness technology for the future. At the moment, you can support the FlyKly as they go through a Kickstarter campaign. At the time of writing, the company have secured well over half of their total $100,000 goal and are aiming for a May 2014 launch.