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Invention Makes Citibikes Electric

Posted by samzenpus on from the why-pedal dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Inventor Jeff Guida has come up with a way to turn any Citibike into an electric scooter. His ShareRoller is about the size of a small briefcase, weighs just seven pounds, and has a 12- to 20-mile range. From the article: '"Years ago, I would've needed a giant engineering company and several million dollars in development research and it still would've taken two years or more," Guida said. But 3D printing has changed all that. In the coming months, Guida hopes to design a universal bracket so that the ShareRoller can be used on any bike. He has some competition there, as there are a few companies that make wheels that convert regular bikes into electric bikes, but he says the ShareRoller is more convenient.'"

5 of 166 comments (clear)

  1. What is wrong with pedals? by characterZer0 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Oh, right. They are too cheap and reliable. We need big business to be able to make money on bicycles, otherwise they are just toys.

    --
    Go green: turn off your refrigerator.
    1. Re:What is wrong with pedals? by Zero__Kelvin · · Score: 4, Funny

      Yes. You hit the nail on the head. The problem with pedaling 20 miles in the hot sun is that the pedals are too reliable.

      --
      Guns don't kill people; Physics kills people! - John Lithgow as Dick Solomon on Third Rock From The Sun
    2. Re: What is wrong with pedals? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Say that to your Grandma, son.

  2. Wheel reinvented. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Sinclair Zeta from 2004:
    http://homepage.ntlworld.com/g8koe/c5martin/zeta.htm

  3. Re:Destroys the tires by classiclantern · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The genius of this guy's design is not the gadget but using it on Citibikes. He doesn't care if it ruins the tire. It's not his bike.

    --
    Now that I said that, I fell better.