Will the Copenhagen Wheel finally be released?

After years of specualtion and reports of frustrated customers cancelling pre-orders, MIT spinoff brand Superpedestrian has confirmed that it will make the new version of the Copenhagen Wheel commercially available as of now, with a shipping date of three weeks.

The new version of the Copenhagen Wheel, which has supposedly been in various stages of development for many years, has the ability to amplify the user’s pedaling power by up to ten times using an improved drive system embedded in the red hub.

This is, however, not the first time that brand Superpedestrian has announced the nearing release of the Copenhagen Wheel; Statements from the brand seemingly confirming a release date go back as far as 2015, with co-founder and CEO Assaf Biderman, telling BikeBiz at the time: "We’re ramping up, but slowly. It’s a complex product, and we care about quality. We have thousands of orders already placed. We’ll be back ordered for about six months. We’re selling direct not because we have anything against distributors; we’d love to work with partners, but we want to keep the price close to cost.”

A BikeBiz reader commented: "I just cancelled my pre-order; made December 2014 so it follows they would immediately start shipping! Seriously though, they have back orders of thousands of wheels, god knows when those orders will all be filled. In fairness to them they gave me my money back promptly."

Regardless of release contraversy, the improved Copenhagen Wheel can be simply installed on almost any bike and includes a combination of sensors, computers, a battery and motor that respond faster than the body can detect – resulting in the sensation of being pulled forwards. When braking, the wheel captures energy and recharges the battery. Riders have the option of choosing how much boost they receive through a range of ride modes which are available in the wheel smartphone app.

For more information and purchasing options, visit superpedestrian.com. The unit is priced at $1499 in the US, UK pricing is yet to be confirmed.