While there are now a number of kits that allow you to convert your existing bicycle into an ebike, many of them involve adding a lot of … “stuff” to your bike. Clip keeps things simple, consisting of just a front wheel drive unit and a wireless remote.
Developed by a Brooklyn-based group of entrepreneurs, Clip is the result of a successful crowdfunding campaign. It has now entered production, with US shipping of the first units planned to take place this Spring.
At the heart of the setup is the aluminum-sided friction-drive module, which gets attached to the fork of a road or hybrid bike – as long as the front wheel is 26 to 28 inches in diameter, it should work. The module contains a 36V/144-Wh lithium battery, which powers a motorized rubber roller. That roller sits snugged up against the front tire – thus causing the front wheel to spin as the roller does – taking the bike to a top speed of 15 mph (24 km/h).
“Once the sensor integrated into the device detects the movement of the wheel, the motor can be activated via a Bluetooth remote clipped on the handlebar,” Clip co-founder Clément De Alcala tells us. “Our proprietary algorithm builds on the rider’s effort, till 15 mph. The motor automatically stops if the rider brakes, or after 15 mph. When the motor is not activated, the roller behaves as a freewheel on the tire. A regenerative braking feature can also be activated [via an accompanying app], transferring the energy to the roller to recharge the battery.”
De Alcala adds that one 40-minute wall-outlet charge of the battery should be good for 10 to 15 miles (16 to 24 km) of use.
The whole thing weighs a claimed 7 lb (3 kg), and is actually not unlike a front-wheel version of the existing rear-wheel Rubbee kit. By making it front-specific, the idea is that Clip can be more easily attached and detached, allowing users to quickly swap it on and off of shared bicycles.
Clip ebike conversion kit powers up the front wheel [New Atlas]