Super wheel converts rider's weight into forward movement!

[Twilkes]

It's an interesting idea but it must weigh a fair bit, and they lost me at 'simply turn your bike upside down...'

 

[Andy in Germany]

It's an interesting idea but it must weigh a fair bit, and they lost me at 'simply turn your bike upside down...'

Yes, their vision seems to include lots of standard rear wheels being left at random places around the countryside...

 

[RoubaixCube]

TBH, a few super capacitors on a bike would probably be more beneficial (if not a complete e-bike) All it takes is a press of a button to help you accelerate from a stop and it will also be fully charged by the time you need to stop again.

 

[keithmac]

It takes power/ effort to charge things up so as the saying goes there's no free lunch.

 

[presta]

What saddens me is the level of scientific ignorance in society that enables this sort of thing to even get started.

 

[Cycleops]

.....and the ignorance is not even scientific

I think we can safely file this under smoke, mirrors and BS.

 

[presta]

It takes power/ effort to charge things up so as the saying goes there's no free lunch.

What would be of real use is a regenerative brake so that you get your kinetic energy back when you accelerate instead of wasting it all as heat.

 

[Bollo]

Does it come with Di2?

 

[keithmac]

What would be of real use is a regenerative brake so that you get your kinetic energy back when you accelerate instead of wasting it all as heat.

Yep that would be the best way to recover energy.

I'm surprised no one's made a rear hubbed ebike with brake harvesting yet.

 

[fossyant]

If it converts the rider’s weight into forward movement then presumably the rider loses weight as the bike moves forward otherwise it will break the “you don’t get owt for nowt” rule.

Yup, you sweat profusely trying to pedal that heavy wheel.

 

[Twilkes]

What saddens me is the level of scientific ignorance in society that enables this sort of thing to even get started.

I know the 'owt for nowt' thing, but if the wheel uses the energy of body mass pushing down onto something static (i.e. that energy would otherwise go into tensioning a spoke), could that energy not be released as the wheel turns? That seems to be what the rotational springs are doing. It's not like you have to compress the springs with your muscles, your body mass is doing that for free.

So it seems they're trying to convert the downward force of your body into rotational force at the wheel, I can't find a decent explanation of how it's supposed to work though.

 

[boydj]

E=mC2
A small amount of your mass is converted into huge amount of energy.

It would have to be a minute amount or you would be breaking the speed limit.

 

[classic33]

Yep that would be the best way to recover energy.

I'm surprised no one's made a rear hubbed ebike with brake harvesting yet.

Akin to this?
https://www.ecowatch.com/self-charging-electric-vello-bike-2053657532.html

 

[classic33]

No good on long uphills or slow climbs.

 

[newfhouse]

Yup, you sweat profusely trying to pedal that heavy wheel.

If you put dissimilar metals in your collected sweat you’d have a battery.