Omni Wheel by EVELO
February 20, 2015
Electric assist bikes, we seem to either love them or hate them. I'm not here to take sides on the matter or debate the ethics of e-bikes, so if the subject puts you in a dark place, I would like to escort you over to this corner of the internet where you can continue enjoying your day.
Moving forward, we're going to look at EVELO's Omni Wheel. For anyone who currently owns a bike, and is entering a stage in their lives where an electric assist bike seems appealing, this is an excellent gateway drug to the world of e-bikes.
The Omni Wheel is a front wheel that can transform just about any bike into an electric assist bike. The wheel is available in both a 700c and 26-inch wheel sizes, and fits into a standard fork dropout with 100mm spacing. For those of you running disc brakes, an optional disc brake rotor can be purchased that is compatible with the Omni Wheel. For the most part, this is a tidy package, and it includes a handlebar mounted wireless dispaly that allows you to adjust the level of assist, and displays speed and distance information.
What I love about the Omni Wheel is that it is not restricted to just one bike. If you've got a fleet of bikes in your garage, you can swap it around from bike to bike pretty quickly. By electrifying the front wheel, you also don't have to worry about swapping cassettes around. While I'm not the best candidate for an electric assist bike, I can see where it would be beneficial when occasionally hauling heavy loads around town.
These start at $999, which is seems a lot for a front wheel, but keep in mind that this is half the cost of an entry level e-bike. They are available for pre-order now, and you can check out their promo video to see it in action.
Photos compliments of EVELO
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TOURING GEAR & TIPS is written by Joshua Tack of Adventure Cycling's memberservices department. It appears weekly, highlighting technical aspects of bicycle touring and advice to help better prepare you for the journey ahead. Look for Josh's "Fine Tuned" column in Adventure Cyclist magazine as well.
Comments
I just got the omni wheel, installed by a bike shop. I'm ready to charge.How does the console charger set fir into the console.Thanks in advance for furthering my career.
I just purchased the on the Evelo Omni Wheel. First, installation was a nightmare because I have Rock Shox on the front of my bike. Secondly, the wheel works well on flat surface however, watch out for the hills. Any slight grade change and you will have to work almost as hard as on a bike. Don't forget, we all adds 15 to 20 pounds onto your bike so now you have to push this additional weight up the hill because the motor is too weak to help you. I am only 155 pounds and would caution anyone from getting this item if they really expect him to help them from getting this item if they really expect him to help them up hills. maybe it would be good in the Great Plains, but not here in California.
So why cannot we just get does great kits from Europe here in the USA? Most of theirs are PAS. I loved them. Anyhow, I just wish it was easier to get a good PAS kit here.
Each his or hers own thing, I like that we are trying, however at $999 kind of high. A 120KM (70Miles) range kit is around that price. Yup love or hate them.
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