Create your own ebike by changing the front wheel

Treehugger

The Internet has been buzzing over the launch of a new method of converting a standard bicycle into an ebike, and while it isn't exactly rand new (the company has already built and improved upon 5 generations of prototypes before this), the GeoOrbital wheel is a completely fresh take on the electric bicycle wheel.

The GeoOrbital does away with spokes and a central bearing altogether, in favor of a non-rotating module that instead propels the wheel with a powered roller (and two guide rollers) that grip the inner section of the wheel's rim. The module, which is integrated into the wheel, has a 500W brushless electric motor that spins the wheel, along with a removable and lockable 36V lithium-ion battery, a USB-out port (for charging other devices), and a thumb-activated throttle that clips to the bike's handlebars.