Ever huffed and puffed your way up a steep hill, or worse yet had to hop off and walk your bike because pedaling just wasn't cutting it on that incline? A new smart wheel might mean the end of those moments and help encourage more folks to use bikes for transportation.

The two biggest reasons I hear for not riding bikes are that it's too hard and that being sweaty at your destination is not an option. Since most cycling sweatiness probably comes from exertion, the Copenhagen Wheel helps with both of those problems by making cycling easier!

How Does it Work?

While you're pedaling or braking, you're actually generating energy. This amazing wheel stores that energy, so you can snag an extra boost when you need it to power up an incline. You control the wheel with your smart phone.

This video does an excellent job of explaining what the wheel does and how:

The Copenhagen Wheel will be available in June of next year and cost around $600. That might seem like a hefty price tag for a wheel. Heck, my whole bike cost less than $600! If you factor in gas savings over time, it tells a whole different story.

Let's say that filling up your car's 10 gallon tank with gas costs around $28-$30, and it takes you one tank per week to commute to and from work. If we go conservative and say $28, you'd make back that $600 in less than 22 weeks by riding every day!

I don't know about you guys, but I'm definitely keeping an eye our for this in my local bike shop!

[h/t: Crisp Green; Worldchanging]