Love the idea of electric bikes but don’t want to dish out thousands for one? Love to lifehack and make your world a better place in the process? Love DIY projects? Then this Kickstarter is for you*.
Micah Toll built his own electric bike (ebike) years ago. Then he started building them for others. Then he built hundreds of them. Then he started teaching other people to build them. Then he wrote a book all about how to build ebikes. First it was published as an ebook (natch), then as a paperback (via Kickstarter funding). It’s been quite popular and it looks like it’s a standout book—as the title claims, The Ultimate Do It Yourself Ebike Guide.
So, for what does Micah need to raise money? Well, he’s now looking to publish a hardcover version of the popular book. The DIY type, he’s looking to do this himself, not through a publisher.
“After all my research and planning, I see that I’m going to need $800 for the formatting, proofing and printing of the first run of hardcover books,” Micah writes.
Well… he’s flown past that target, with dozens of people pledging money and reserving their early copies as well as perhaps some one-on-one guidance.
You can find info regarding what’s in the book on the Kickstarter page, but if you aren’t sold yet, I love this short description of why ebikes are so awesome:
I built my first electric bicycle years ago to allow me to commute around the city, up steep hills and to the far edges of town without breaking a sweat and without spending any money on gas. From the first moment I instantly knew I had a love affair with electric bicycles. That’s when I became hooked.
What I love most about electric bicycles is that at the end of the day, it’s still a bicycle! I can pedal my ebike whenever I want, but if I get tired or I feel like riding up a hill at 20 mph, I can just turn the throttle and take off! I can still get exercise whenever I want, but I can also have the performance of an electric motorcycle in a sleek, stealthy package. I couldn’t believe that all of this could be had in one bike, and for so little money too!
Indeed.
*Disclosure: This article was supported by The Awesome Micah Toll. (“The Awesome” is my own insertion, not Micah’s.)