The Ridekick is an electric bike trailer that pushes your bicycle.
The Fort Collins, Colorado-based company, founded by Mark Wanger and Dee Bidwell, has a new take on the electric-bike concept: instead of buying an electric bike or retrofitting your existing one, why not just attach a trailer to your regular bike and let the Ridekick do all the work?
This small but smart trailer hooks to your bike's hitch and connects with a wire that runs from the throttle unit inside the trailer to the handle bars on your bike. It also comes with a quick disconnect pin and plug to get the trailer off of your bike when you're done using it, which I think is a great idea.
Operating the Ridekick is extremely simple, it's a bit like riding a bike with a thumb throttle on it. The throttle itself is just a small piece of black plastic about the size of a paper clip and is mounted to a semi-circular mounting plate that you'll need to mount to your handlebars.
It's a nice little addition to any bike and it can make a real difference when you need a boost. The Ridekick comes standard with a Sealed Lead Acid battery which is a good choice for most people and has about 10 miles of range per charge; but there's a lithium option available that can double or triple the Ridekick's range.
The lithium battery isn't cheap up front, but it has a longer life and less maintenance than the SLA option. Plus, the battery is lightweight and you can use it for years to come without having to keep it charged all the time!
