An extremely easy-to-use accessory provides an electric range of up to 20 kilometers.
Shortly after World War II, a French manufacturer called Solex began selling mopeds. These were not typical mopeds, i.e. motorcycles equipped with pedals. The mopeds produced by Solex were essentially bicycles, just a bit above the front wheel a two-stroke engine was installed, with which the motorcyclist could travel approximately 100 km with a single liter of fuel. However, Solex mopeds were loud and difficult to drive due to weight distribution, so they never really caught on.
A New York startup has come up with a special version of Solex. The Brooklyn-based company’s only product is a Clip, which is a friction drive unit that can be attached to the front fork of any bicycle, turning it into an e-bike. The Commuter model costs $499 and the Explorer model costs $599, so almost any bike can be converted into an e-bike relatively cheaply, for a fraction of the price of a new bike.
With the Commuter model weighing 4 kg (the Explorer is a kilo heavier), the Clip is essentially a portable motorcycle. A detachable controller can be mounted on the steering wheel and on the device itself. The Explorer model has a 192 Wh battery that takes an hour to fully charge. It has a range of “up to 20 kilometers” and a top speed of 24 km/h. The Commuter model offers half the battery capacity, charging time and range. 20 kilometers doesn’t seem like much, especially compared to e-bikes with a range of over 100 kilometers. But the Clip is not made for long, comfortable tours. This is a tool for those who want to revive their old bike that is gathering dust in the garage.
Attaching the Clip to the bike is easy: you just have to click the product on the front wheel and rubber a remote control on the handlebars. To operate, i.e. to activate the friction drive, press the red button on the remote control, and for regenerative braking, press the white button. According to the company, the latter can restore 12-18 percent of the range – in practice, returning the charge to the battery works as a restrained brake. So, while pedaling, you have to hold down the red button for assistance, and the same, while decelerating, the white one. Lazy people don’t have to pedal at all, the Clip will drive the front wheel at around 25 km/h. Of course, the 10 kilos of equipment attached to the front wheel messes up the weight distribution, but this is not a problem for an experienced cyclist.
Top view, the red button is the electric drive
After reaching the destination, the Clip can be removed from the bike just as easily by pulling a handle. There are plenty of e-bike conversion kits out there, but few are easier to install and use than this one. And this is what makes the Clip stand out from the crowd: no need to bother with tools, install motors and install batteries. The Clip literally attaches to the bike and electrifies it. It’s obviously not meant for public transport, but for short commutes it’s a fantastic way to give an old bike a new lease of life.
Source: sg.hu
