Originally Posted by
fatbikeGM
Ah, this almost feels like a chat by now with these fast responses :-)
I like this alternative even better since there is no drag when not in use.
I could probably live with a little noise while in use. That does not disturb me too much on my ebikes either.
And regarding the cost: It's still cheaper if you add (re-)building a Birdy wheel, no?
At high speed the sound is somewhat like an ebike. Silence is better of course, but it doesn't bother me. True, you save the cost of rebuilding a wheel. It is also a good option if you like to swap between different wheelsets, which I do on that bike. Just beware of the mounting. The Birdy has square tubing on the front swingarm, and the Velogical is delivered with U-rods to go around fork legs. But I'm sure it will work, as long as you get the right size U-rod.
Possible hack: It would be nice to be able to engage it when riding at daytime, when I suddenly get to a tunnel. It is likely possible to make a remote using a spring, shifter wire, and a friction shifter on the handlebars. Whether the sudden acceleration would be bad for the electronics I do not know. Mainly useful for tunnel countries like Norway.