"On the other hand, what does the HN crowd say about technologies they really do find uninteresting and unimportant? Absolutely nothing."
This also encourages us in a way, as weird as it sounds. It probably means we're at least doing something right if everyone is paying so much attention to it. Thanks!
We're definitely getting a lot of useful information out of this, even if it appears somehow hostile at first. This way we can quickly see which information is even more important to stress and even what we somehow missed out initially.
Thanks! We're fully aware of how HN usually works, some of us actually regulary reside here. That's actually why we rather hang out here and answer your questions than in other comments sections where the debate would not be so intriguing.
We're looking forward to replying to all of your posts here since we believe this is one of the best ways to articulate our points more efficiently. We have the highest level of trust in our product and we'd love to see how could we be able to present it even better.
We appreciate your support, so bring out the big guns, okay?
The quick release in the video and the photos is used only for demonstrational purposes in the prototype phase. The final product will come with anti-theft screws that can only be used with a custom made wrench.
Of course the features of locking the motor and tracking the Smart Wheel via GPS are still helpfull in case someone still decides to steal it.
1000 cycles of 30 miles is in average way more than an average commuter spends riding over a course of a year. We believe this distance is acceptable for a product with a one year warranty.
Of course the battery pack will also be easily replacable.
So your view is that the expected lifetime of the product is identical to your one year warranty? I think that's the sort of thing you're supposed to let your disappointed customers discover after they've purchased.
Interesting interpretation of that comment. I read it as "30,000 miles is WAY WAY WAY more than the average commuting distance in a year." Not "is equal to". Do you think the average bike commuter lives 50 miles from work?
Not unrealistic if you happen to 25 miles away (journey each way) but definitely not your "average commuter". (I used to cycle 20 miles each way, I knew someone that cycled 35 miles, but for different reasons than just commuting).
>1000 cycles of 30 miles is in average way more than an average commuter spends
Even if you rode your 30 miles every day, that's more like 3 years and less like 1. I wouldn't be disappointed if I had to change my battery (which really should be considered a consumable) after nearly 3 years. None of my phones that cost this much or more have done as well. I would like to see a slightly longer warranty on such an expensive thing, but its not completely out there.
What constitutes a charging cycle? Connected to the mains? What about all those micro charges you get along your journey, going downhill or braking?
Presumably the battery capacity will diminish over time, and you have some smart software to counter that as much as possible? Any expectations on how much the range will reduce by? Will the app tell us the range?
Really interesting project, looking forward to it.
As far as I know, the general meaning of "charging cycle" is "used up a full charge worth of power." Whether you recharge from 50% to 100% twice, or only use 10% of the battery before topping it off 10 times, you've used one cycle.
Doesn't that just mean you have a particularly good warranty? It would not make sense for the warranty to last significantly longer than the expected lifetime of the product, so the only alternative would be to have a warranty that explicitly lasts much less than the expected lifetime. This seems strictly worse than the alternative!
Usually if you buy a product with a one year warranty you don't expect it to be unusable after 13 months. I don't know if they can swap batteries though, that would change things.
The Smart Wheel actually consists of two halves one of which is fixed (it doesn't turn). The battery is therefore stationary and doesn't require any kinetic energy to be spinned around the axis.
A GPS module is of course also located on the Smart Wheel itself so it sends a signal on its own once the motion sensors (that turn on only after you lock it) notice it's moving without your knowledge.
The top speed means exactly that - because the Smart Wheel is a pedal assist this means it helps you accelerate until you reach 20 mph and no further. You're correct in stating that the top speed is also set in accordance to the US Law (or European Law, which allows for speeds up to 25 km/h).
We're sorry about the confusion about "the first line of electric bicycles" - this was of course meant to inform the reader about the first line of e-bikes that we're introduced by FlyKly, not the first e-bikes EVER.
"A GPS module is of course also located on the Smart Wheel itself so it sends a signal on its own once the motion sensors (that turn on only after you lock it) notice it's moving without your knowledge."
Sends a signal to what? If you're a few feet away I don't think you'd be worried about a theft.
So if you're within a few feet of your bike when someone takes it, it will notify you? And it will track the bike for a few seconds as it goes out of range?
Your KickStarter calls this "located and tracked" without caveats. That's pretty misleading.
That doesn't make sense. GPS is not a transmitter. Will you include an embedded 3G SIM card (like a Kindle)? I'm not sure how you will get the GPS coordinates to the smartphone 10 miles away.
...the motion sensors (that turn on only after you lock it) notice it's moving without your knowledge.
Is there any reason that "locking" doesn't render the device immobile? I realize someone could still carry it off, but most thieves would be more reluctant to steal a device they have to take apart and hack before using, than one they can literally just ride away.
I assumed they meant the bike is being geographically displaced and that yes the wheel mechanism would be locked. For example if you pick up the back wheel and push the cycle on the front one only.
We're aware of the many similarities people will want to draw with Copenhagen Wheel but allow me to introduce some important differences as well:
1) Smart Wheel introduces a brand new electric motor that is thinner and lighter (and more efficient) than any other before it. Copenhagen Wheel uses regular rotary motor that's heavy and cumbersome, not to mention it's not a replaceable wheel - it comes together with the whole bicycle.
2) The GPS module might seems like the only thing that separates the Smart Wheel from the Copenhagen Wheel (it's not) but it's the difference of how they use this data that makes all the difference. Smart Wheel uses GPS data to learn about your cycling habits and routines and then suggests on how to improve them. This data can also be used to help improving the cycling experiences of other people. Copenhagen Wheel measures noise and air pollution levels and uses them for statistical purposes only.
3) Smart Wheel is opensource which means our users will be available to develop their own apps and other tools to find new innovations to using the Smart Wheel. We're already working closely with Pebble Watch and other similar devices are in the works, too.
4) Last but not least, despite being around for ~5 years, Copenhagen Wheel is still only a prototype with no sign of ever being available to the market. Smart Wheel is becoming available in May 2014.
> The Copenhagen Wheel turns the bike you already own, quickly and easily into
an electric bike with regeneration and real-time environmental sensing capabilities.
Albeit, the big caveat being point 4 you mention of course! :)
The copenhagen wheel looks pretty cool. Too bad nobody can buy it. I guess those copenhagen people can put whatever they want on their press release since they will probably never turn it into an actual product.
This also encourages us in a way, as weird as it sounds. It probably means we're at least doing something right if everyone is paying so much attention to it. Thanks!