PHOTOS: Inhabitat Uses the ShareRoller to Turn a Regular Citi Bike into an Electric Bike

<a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/tag/citi-bike/">Citi Bikes</a> will soon be getting a battery-powered boost to match their electric blue color. Aimed at New Yorkers who find the heavy bicycles a pain to pedal, <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/247419341/1782517041?token=3224406b">ShareRoller</a> is a compact new device that can transform any Citi Bike into an easy-to-ride electric bike. The briefcase-like portable motor is about the size of a ream of 8.5" x 11" paper, and is the world's first detachable electric drive system designed specifically for major bike share programs in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. We recently met up with the <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/247419341/1782517041?token=3224406b">ShareRoller</a>'s inventor, Jeff Guida, to take the device out on a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/photos-inhabitat-tests-out-the-shareroller-to-turn-a-regular-citi-bike-into-an-electric-bike/shareroller-other-view/">Citi Bike spin of our own</a>. Click through <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/photos-inhabitat-tests-out-the-shareroller-to-turn-a-regular-citi-bike-into-an-electric-bike/shareroller-other-view/">our gallery</a> to see how it went.

Guida, a New York-based engineer and entrepreneur, created the <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/247419341/1782517041?token=3224406b">ShareRoller</a> after being turned off by Citi Bikes' hefty frames. "I kind of felt like I was pulling a trailer,' Guida told us. "I love them, but they're 3 speeds and they weigh almost fifty pounds. It's a lot more work than riding a regular bike."

The device weighs 6-7 lbs. and comes in <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/247419341/1782517041?token=3224406b">two models</a>, regular or extended range, which pack enough power for 12 miles or 20 miles of range, respectively.

When the battery is depleted, it can be charged simply by plugging it into a wall socket using the included adapter. According to Guida, the regular model can be fully recharged in about 90 minutes, while the extended range model needs a little over two hours.

Guida feels that the ShareRoller will help increase <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/tag/citi-bike/">Citi Bike</a> ridership by opening the bike share system up to those who currently find the bikes too difficult to ride. "A lot of my friends don't ride Citi Bikes because they can't afford to get sweaty on the way to work, or because they live because in Brooklyn and they don't want to cross a bridge everyday because it's a tough climb."

The ShareRoller is small enough to fit into most briefcases and totebags and takes about 10 seconds to clip onto the front on a Citi Bike.

We took the ShareRoller out for a spin one blustery afternoon in - appropriately enough - Battery Park City. The device was a breeze to carry but we imagine most people would tuck it into a bag instead of holding it by its handle. It took about ten seconds to snap the ShareRoller into place onto the front of the Citi Bike we chose.

After snapping the main unit onto the front of the bike, the throttle clip should be attached to the handlebar. Then it's time to ride.

A ShareRoller-equipped Citi Bike will take about one or two pedals before you can use the throttle, which makes sense considering that you wouldn't want your bike to zoom off without you on it. <p>The ride itself was extremely smooth with none of the jerky movements we sort of expected to experience. There is a slight whirring sound, but other than that, it basically feels like you're somehow able to ride your bike really zippily without actually having to pedal. The stretch of land we used for our test ride was very flat, so it wasn't like it was that difficult to just use the Citi Bike normally, but the difference when using the ShareRoller is very obvious. We imagine it would be a godsend on a bridge or a hill.

The portable motor also features a USB port for charging small electronics like smartphones and tablets.

The built-in LED headlights which add 20 Lumens of light to a regular <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/tag/citi-bike/">Citi Bike</a>'s headlights.

The ShareRoller can also be used on Kick Scooters, personal bikes (with a customized clip that Guida is working on now) and several other municipal bikes shares.