Get Smart with FlyKly’s Smart Wheel

It only seems fitting, in a time when we are constantly updating and refreshing classic technologies, that there be an innovative and compact way to add an electric boost to your bike. Introducing FlyKly’s Smart Wheel. “[We wanted] to make electric bikes more simple and accessible, so we decided to turn an ordinary bike into a smart bike,” explained FlyKly’s Founder and CEO Niko Klansek.

Designed to work with most bike frames, the FlyKly Smart Wheel’s robust housing contains the motor, electronics, and battery. By pairing the hub with a smartphone, the rider sets their top speed on the FlyKly app. You start pedaling and the pedal-assist kicks in. The Smart Wheel is accompanied by the Smart Light, a bright LED front light that also holds and recharges your smartphone and allows you to use the FlyKly app on the go. The Smart Light is powered by a dynamo on the front wheel.

Programmed to monitor and control the Smart Wheel, FlyKly’s experiential app (compatible with iPhone, Android, and Pebble Watch) learns your cycling habits and routines to suggest other routes, while also tracking distance and time. The app also allows you to lock the Smart Wheel when not in use and should your bike get stolen it lets you know where it’s headed using an internal GPS. Available in eight different colors and made to easily fit onto most bikes, the Smart Wheel allows any rider to switch to pedal-assist without having to abandon their favorite bike. “You can always dress for the destination, not for the ride, and never worry about sweating.”

“We are a team of co-working friends and big supporters of utilitarian biking culture, and we want to make cities more livable. We want to make them more people, not car, friendly and that’s why we need your help,” said Klansek. To fund the FlyKly Smart Wheel, the team took to Kickstarter to raise $100,000. 48 hours after starting their campaign, FlyKly reached their goal. While the initial early bird backing discounts have already been scooped up, early funders can still contribute with product delivery expected in May 2014.

For more information visit the FlyKly Smart Wheel’s Kickstarter page or Flykly.com