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Biking is fun! Biking uphill is not as much fun. Neither is biking to work on a hot day and arriving all sweaty and red-faced, or having to bike home (uphill, probably) when you're already exhausted, or pushing your bike up the street because it's too hilly or you're too tired. And the least fun of all is having your bike stolen.
FlyKly wants to fix these problems. The company launched a Kickstarter campaign on Wednesday for its FlyKly Smart Wheel, and racked up $40,000 of their $100,000 goal in just a few hours—as of this writing it's at $82K and climbing.
The Smart Wheel fits on the bike you already ride.
The Smart Wheel packs a super-thin motor into a tough plastic casing that fits on the spokes of a bike rim. You're only buying the wheel, so you can put it on whatever bike you already own and love. (FlyKly will produce 26- and 29-inch versions in eight colors, and you supply the bike, inner tube, and tire.) The motor can propel you up to 20 miles per hour for up to 30 miles, so you get the same pedal-assistance magic as a "real" electric bike, but with less weight, less cost, and some really cool smart features too.
Electronics inside the wheel talk to your smartphone via Bluetooth 4.0—FlyKly has apps for iOS, Android, and even the Pebble watch. The apps let you set the top speed for the motor, plus they display data on your speed, distance, and how the wheel's battery is faring. (It charges as you pedal or ride downhill, or you can plug it in between rides.)
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