Transportation
This Tiny Electric Motor Gives Your Bike a Sneaky Boost
The Vivax Assist is perfect for folks who want to (secretly) convert to an e-bike.
The next time you're gasping for breath pedaling on a hill, and your buddy is gliding up it with a big grin, consider that he may be cheating with a teensy motor that slips into the frame of a bike.
The Vivax Assist is an Austrian-made electric doodad that looks like a humble, 8.6 inch-long metal rod. It hides inside the seat tube near the pedals, connected to a battery pack stashed in a saddlebag or disguised as a water bottle (seriously). When you're sick of, ya know, exercise, flick a button on the handlebar and the motor engages a crank near the gears, giving you a secret and shameful boost.