Anyone familiar with GeoOrbital Wheel?

[munchabunch]

So based on a link through FB, I found out about this kickstarter for a wheel that transforms your bike into an ebike:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1266381423/geoorbital-wheel-make-your-bike-electric-in-60-sec

This sounds amazing.  I want to commute by bike to work more, but it's 12+ miles round trip, and for someone who has difficulty sweating, I'm more likely to burn out on heat exhaustion than anything else.  I was intrigued by all the e-bike love here, but I didn't really want to buy another separate bike or pay $1000+ for a kit with mixed results.  Having a little boost for the midway hill and on hotter days would really help me still avoid the car commute.

Has anyone had any experience with these before?  $700 is still pretty stiff (more than the cost of my bike!) and would only save me a few bucks a day, but I'm not sure what kind of price goes on actually getting more exercise.

[gooki]

They're not being mass manufactured yet, so you're unlikely to find anyone with experience.

A 36v front hub ebike kit (wheel, motor, lithium battery, controller, thumb throttle) should set you back half that: $350 to $400) and is the route I'd go.

FYI, I wouldn't recommend backing the Kickstarter, better to wait for the actual retail product.

[alsoknownasDean]

Isn't it just like the Copenhagen wheel (is that vaporware, or have they shipped units)?

[mskyle]

Isn't it just like the Copenhagen wheel (is that vaporware, or have they shipped units)?

I'm not sure if Copenhagen Wheels are actually shipping (you can only "preorder" them on the website), but I live/work near where they're based and have seen a few of them in the wild. Copenhagen is rear wheel and this is front wheel... I wonder if you could double up!

[Katsplaying]

I like the idea of the GeoOrbital in that it goes from ebike to normal bike in like a minute. The kickstarter is the "cheap" price (don't forget $70 s/h); they will retail for $950USD when they start shipping in November this year.

And yeah, that thing costs like 3 times what I paid for my bike, too!

[alsoknownasDean]

Isn't it just like the Copenhagen wheel (is that vaporware, or have they shipped units)?

I'm not sure if Copenhagen Wheels are actually shipping (you can only "preorder" them on the website), but I live/work near where they're based and have seen a few of them in the wild. Copenhagen is rear wheel and this is front wheel... I wonder if you could double up!

I reckon it'd handle pretty poorly, given the unsprung weight :)