Upgrade your old pedal cycle to an "e-bike"

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mathepac

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This device clips onto the front of your old pedal cycle and provides drive to the front wheel.

No engineering degrees needed and no tools.

Looks a bit odd but much cheaper than a new e-bike.

Warning - speeds > 15 mph in old money possible depending on model.

[EDIT]

I just noticed they don't mention a mains-lead (kettle/monitor type adapter) in the list of package contents. If you're stuck for one, I have loads of them :D

clip.bike

CLIP

World's 1st Plug & Play e-bike tech.
clip.bike clip.bike
 
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Those are illegal here, there is no linkage to the cranks to ensure power is cut off if pedalling stops.
 
Never thought of Halfords since they shut up shop locally, Beaten by two bikes out of their range. Still, a bronze medal ain't bad and it might save someone from scrapping a bike they have a sentimental attachment to, akin to The Third Policeman / The Dalkey Archive.
 
mathepac said:
Can I draw your attention to foot 12 in the above document? It refers to a Throttle Bike, another type of Micro Mobility "e-bike."
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Good catch, I should clarify it is perfectly legal to use them (assuming they have EU Type approval), but you must have a valid driving license and dedicated insurance.
 
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I looked up clip.bike and when I entered the name of my bike it says it is not on their list yet. Also it seems to be in the USA
 
Annie51 said:
Also it seems to be in the USA
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clip.bike

FAQ

World's 1st Plug & Play e-bike tech.
clip.bike clip.bike
Where do you ship?

Currently we will only ship within the US for the first set of pre-orders.
However CLIP will soon be available in more countries so do make sure that you’ve subscribed on our website to stay updated.
Click to expand...
 
Annie51 said:
I looked up clip.bike and when I entered the name of my bike it says it is not on their list yet. Also it seems to be in the USA
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I'm not aware of any insurer offering cover for them here yet. If you are considering importing, make sure you have that lined up in advance.
 
You can also buy a Sywtch kit, but there's a bit of work in installing them and the purchasing method is fairly opaque.
 
lff12 said:
You can also buy a Sywtch kit,
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They have a significant advantage in that they don't change the classification of the bike to an e-moped and so are legal to use without a driving license and dedicated insurance.
 
Leo said:
they don't change the classification of the bike to an e-moped and so are legal to use without a driving license and dedicated insurance
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Correct - they are slightly underpowered compared to most commercial motors - torque is 40nm compared to the 45nm on my Raleigh e-bike and 55nm on the more powerful Chinese frankenbikes, but they just offer a gentle level of pedal assisted power rather than a blast of 500w+ might. Have one on order to come in April and will report back. And unlike a lot of basic ebikes, the motor wheel hasn't the resistance that many bikes have if the power runs out, and suddenly you have to push the pedals on a 20kg plus miniature tank up the hill.
 
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Certain amount of power escalation. Once the bike is increasingly powerful you need to upgrade the frame, brakes, wheels tires to handle the power and speed and climbing speed.

Perhaps consider de-escalation. Do you really need to go that fast or carry that weight or go that far. In which case everything can be lighter and less powerful. Perhaps people would be safer within slower more manageable speeds.

Just a thought.
 
I dislike the proprietary nature of many ebikes and kits. Consider will you be able to get parts and batteries in a few years when you need them.
 
AlbacoreA said:
Certain amount of power escalation. Once the bike is increasingly powerful you need to upgrade the frame, brakes, wheels tires to handle the power and speed and climbing speed.
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Anything in the e-bike bracket (250W) won't need component upgrades on any bike approved for sale here unless you're already pushing the weight limits of the wheelset.

AlbacoreA said:
Perhaps consider de-escalation. Do you really need to go that fast or carry that weight or go that far.
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Need plays a very small role in anyone's choice of transport. Like who needs the features of an X5 over cheaper, lighter, or slower alternatives?

AlbacoreA said:
I dislike the proprietary nature of many ebikes and kits.
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Most of the reputable brands are using common components from a few core manufacturers, Bosch have ~50% of the European market for motors and drive components. The challenge with a lot of the e-bike market now is that there is a lot of near-junk gear coming in from a plethora of low-end Chinese brands. As the market matures some of that will reduce, but choice isn't a bad thing, the use of proprietary components isn't unique to the e-bike market.
 
Anything in the e-bike bracket (250W) won't need component upgrades on any bike approved for sale here unless you're already pushing the weight limits of the wheelset.
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True - I have a Swytch kit on an old hybrid I bought for €30. Didn't need any additional upgrades (though I have put puncture proof tyres on). As mentioned their business model is a bit weird (basically acting like a Kickstarter project though they've been around for about 10 years) but there are others doing similar kits.

I'm doing a 25km each-way commute on it. TBH I can do the same commute slightly faster on my road bike, but with the eBike I don't need to wear cycling gear or have a shower at the end and I can use panniers.

That yoke in the OP is ugly as hell and must be fairly inefficient at transfer power from the battery to the wheel. I remember seeing a similar idea that connected to the rear wheel, it's didn't take the world by storm either.
 
I think experience makes you realise it's not all about speed.

I often do not take the shortest route on the bicycle, because there's a nicer longer route.
 
Leo said:
The challenge with a lot of the e-bike market now is that there is a lot of near-junk gear coming in from a plethora of low-end Chinese brands
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Cannot disagree - there's a considerable amount of trash out there. I did look into these and decided against it because of that.
shweeney said:
I'm doing a 25km each-way commute on it. TBH I can do the same commute slightly faster on my road bike, but with the eBike I don't need to wear cycling gear or have a shower at the end and I can use panniers.
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I do 21km each way & similar, although I don't think I'd match the speed on my road bike because of the extra weight of carrying laptop luggage, a charge & a change of clothes.
Leo said:
Anything in the e-bike bracket (250W) won't need component upgrades on any bike approved for sale here unless you're already pushing the weight limits of the wheelset.
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Most ebike kits will come with a dedicated wheel with the motor already built in, so in such cases you are already halfway there. New wheels are not particularly expensive either - I've replaced at least one in the past.
AlbacoreA said:
I dislike the proprietary nature of many ebikes and kits. Consider will you be able to get parts and batteries in a few years when you need them.
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This isn't unique to kits. I had huge difficulty getting a new battery for my Raleigh Evo 2 (basically the Halfords version of the Stow-e-way which are basically the same bike in 2 different paint jobs) & in the end could only get from the UK from a shop which no longer trades. I'm sure the Bosch batteries are easy enough to get, but nearly all of the rest are proprietary & probably difficult to source. Even the tyres on that particular model are very difficult to find & probably vastly overpriced as they are not good tyres either.
AlbacoreA said:
Do you really need to go that fast or carry that weight or go that far. In which case everything can be lighter and less powerful. Perhaps people would be safer within slower more manageable speeds.
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There's a bit of research done on ebikes and so far most of the evidence seems to point to people cycling much longer distances. Yes, there is an obsession with speed etc but most people who consistently cycle for more than a few weeks eventually realise that the benefit is in distance travelled, not the additional speed. Personally I cycle at exactly the same average speed on my unassisted road bike as I do my ebike when commuting.
 
lff12 said:
a nicer longer route isn't much use
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I doubt many people run out of ebike battery on a hours commute. That's only 15-30k at average speeds. If it's faster and or longer maybe it's an eMotorbike that's needed.

For me and extra 10 mins is nothing on the bicycle. You don't get delayed by traffic so times are very consistent. Less risk of dying on a nicer route. I find that useful.

Rushing and being late on bicycle or ebike is not a good habit.
 
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