Copenhagen Wheel

It turns out that there's still room for tech innovation for bicycles! Most bikes are pretty low tech as defined as not using any electricity, but enhancing bikes with a battery can greatly enhance their potential.

In this case, outfitting your bike with the Wheel can make biking a lot faster, and its help is especially welcome when going uphill. And if you have a long commute, then you don't have to pedal as hard to get to where you want - workouts are great, but if you're tired and need to go somewhere - the Wheel is there for you!

That is what the Copenhagen Wheel does, and it even comes with its own app to boot on both iPhone and Android. The app learns about how you ride a bike and gives options on how much the Wheel should help out with boosting your bike ride.

And of course, the Wheel is rechargeable either by plugging in or backpedaling! It's pretty sweet that you can recharge your own bike, although that's likely mostly to give an extra boost here and there rather than charging from 0 to 100.

The price for a wheel, however, is about $1499, or you could buy a full bike model for $1999 in the US. But think about how much you spend on gas each month, and maybe also parking, and the savings can stack up - but everyone's mileage almost certainly varies.

(Images from superpedestrian, the seller of the Wheel. The link is to the tech description page because the buy page walks you through customization options but it's nicer to see the overview again before buying.)