Two weeks cycling with the Copenhagen Wheel
There are a lot of reasons to go car-free. And you?ve likely heard them all: Cars contribute to harmful greenhouse gases; ditching your SUV is one of the most effective ways to combat climate change; fewer cars on the road would alleviate the metro areas? crushing traffic.
But one reason to trade four wheels in for two doesn?t get talked about very often: Riding a bike is just plain fun.
This is the message that resonated over each pothole and through every signal in the past two weeks, as I switched from being a part-time bike rider to a full-time commuter cyclist. I also had a fancy new tool at my disposal that made the experience much more enjoyable: the Copenhagen Wheel.
Pedal-addicts might remember when the prototype of the bright red Copenhagen Wheel was released by a Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lab in 2009. The company Superpedestrian?which launched in 2013?debuted a new version of the product earlier this year to consumers after years of intense anticipation, improvements, and criticism about delays. Now, however, the Copenhagen Wheel is available for purchase and has a growing cult of followers. The Superpedestrian PR machine makes the Wheel sound like the next big thing in cycling. And maybe it is. Using ?human-enhancing technology? to amplify a rider?s pedaling power by up to 10 times, the red hub houses a motor, battery, and computer that can be swapped out for the rear wheel of almost any bike you ...