HenryL

For the record, 63 YO male, recovering from shoulder surgery, taking a bit longer than expected. Already own 2 road bikes and a track bike. The wheel provided me an option to make my commute to work easier although it is already the easiest 11 miles one could imagine. Picked this up from someone who purchased it as part of the Kickstarter program so I did not pay their full retail price. The wheel was in the original packing unused. The company advertises 60 second set up, it took me 180 seconds or so, no big deal. The weight of the wheel,( 20 pounds or so) does change handling of a road bike, beware of cracks and road hazards, these are transmitted harshly. If you do not activate the throttle the wheel provides some free motion, it is not free wheeling. If you have been an active cyclist this is sort of like pedaling up a 1% grade. Activating the throttle provided smooth and easy acceleration. i was not set up to measure speed, they advertise top speed of 20 MPH. I don't think I got there. I pedaled with the throttle activated, the effect was like having a tailwind, I was able to maintain speed with little effort, for sure I got over 20 then. Range is yet to be determined, this was a shake down ride, limited to around the neighborhood. The company says up to 20 miles, I intend to test that out in every expanding loops close to home. The regenerative braking was just that, let go of the throttle and it was like applying the brakes. There was significant drag but again nothing an average cyclist could not overcome in a pinch. Arriving home my road bike became a road bike in 3 minutes. For what I paid this was a great value. Since NJ will have snow this weekend a longer test ride will have to wait but I do intend to share experiences, this is very new to me. The company gets a big plus for innovation and ease of use, retail price point is off the mark but this was not a factor for me, sometimes you get lucky. So far I am happy to have something that permits my bike to serve more than one purpose.