Categories
Cycling Personal Transportation

Slim down your electric ride with the Sondors THIN

The holy grail of lightweight and electric personal transportation is still a long way off. Fortunately, crowdfunding websites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo are incubators of tomorrow’s designs, with many having been fully supported and brought to market — which means all these products should be overrunning the street, right? Well, not entirely. For a lot of people, price and size are still huge barriers making a truly affordable, lightweight electric vehicle something to be integrated into daily lifestyles.

Claiming to have developed the most lightweight and affordable option on the market, the Sondors THIN Electric Bike is now on Indiegogo. Coming in at just 38 pounds, the Sondors THIN features a Panasonic Single-Cell Battery — the same technology used in Tesla’s Model S — to power a 350W motor for a top speed of 20mph and max distance of 50 miles.

Categories
Fitness Personal Transportation

Keep FIT with a former trike turned citywide full-body trainer

The search for improved methods of exercise is a ceaseless one, every decade full of half-baked fads and products that introduce new ways to do the same things. The fitness potential of Me-Mover’s previously self-titled Kickstarter success was realized only after lots of feedback gave them the idea. Thus, FIT was born.

FIT is the next generation of of the Me-Mover, this time more focused on providing a full-body workout while to rider rather than just another mode of three-wheeled transportation. While using FIT, users can activate and engage six to eight muscle groups quickly while working on balance, stamina and strength at the same time—all with less impact on the body than by running. A setting for variable resistance lets riders match a runner’s pace or turn it up to achieve a higher intensity workout as well, both out in the city or at home with the included training kit in those colder months. A FIT is $1,399 and should ship by June 2016. Me-Mover is looking for $100,000 by December 16th, 2015.

A little engineering and a lot of marketing have transformed the original Me-Mover into the FIT. Based on the enthusiastic response of the original’s fitness capabilities, there’s obviously a large demand for a product that spices up everyday life with a bit of fitness. The product is also great for injured athletes who need low-impact rehabilitation. The Halfbike II offers similar fitness benefits but lacks the comprehensiveness of the FIT.