It looks like the caterpillar track attaches to their own special wheel. I don't see how you'd be able to integrate a hub motor with their own wheel, assuming it's required. However, an external motor like an RC motor... now that could be interesting.
What I'm kind of interested in is something that can do snow and pavement relatively well because usually routes contain a mix of snow and bare pavement most of the time. On snowy days, it's mostly snow, but after sitting for a day or two or a week, the car tracks start to melt through on busy enough roads.
I do, I run them on my Rans Tailwind in the winter. If you are a pedal only type they slow you down a bit (2-3mph I'd say) but they do work well on ice. Just have to remember you don't have studs on your feet when you stop.
They don't do a thing for you in snow/slush, but black ice and regular ice become much more manageable. The whir of the studs is interesting when running on mostly deserted winter roads and they wear well (carbide studs).
Uh, kim... how am I going to fit my front hub motor to that rear drive traxx thing??? JK
That is cool, and perhaps useful (who knows... I have managed the last 5 winters on a segway so I think I will be ok on my specialized with decent knobbys).
It's the cold I can't stand, working on a little heater that can be worn and pulls in cold air through the front (between your pants and shirt) heats it then disperses it into your clothing... ideally it would be fitted to rain gear for a seal... who knows.
I remember seeing a Monster Garage or Dead Man episode with a BMW across the arctic wasteland before the ice road had been built... the studs on those tires were awesome, the other guy had little sheet metal screws he screwed into studs on a off road tire... he made it too so I may "borrow" the tech.
I ran these last winter, and concur that they were BRILLIANT on ice and through dry or packed snow - BUT, as you can reasonably expect with a medium like near-zero degree heavy slush (32 degrees for those south of me that still use the "F" word to quantify temperature), they're still not perfect.
Actually, one of the biggest larks in having these on the bike is riding them when the snow has been shoved aside and the pavement is bare. I turned a lot of pedestrian heads "scratching and buzzing" along the pavement with these puppies on dry days...
.
