An American start-up has found the solution all exhausted bike riders need – a portable device that can turn any standard bicycle into an e-bike.
Clip is a detachable device, that’s about the same height and weight as a laptop. It incorporates a 450W motor, powered by 36V battery that allows bike riders to reach a maximum speed of 24km/h.
The device recharges in just 40 minutes making it easy to charge and go.
Clip Co-founder Somnath Ray said he designed the removable battery after seeing hundreds of e-bikes and hybrid bikes stolen on the streets of New York. The manual bikes were usually the ones to remain on the street.
“The solution had to be portable and lightweight, so it could be easily detached after every use and taken along, so it can’t be stolen,” he said.
“It had to be modular and inexpensive so a person who doesn’t own a bike or has a complicated inter-modal commute can bring it along to use it on shared bikes, or just rent it from a vending machine.”
Clip has road-tested the bikes in the United States and in Paris. Admittedly, both destinations are fairly flat and they used it for city-riding.
We’d be keen to see how Clip does on a mountain bike ride at Blue Derby or Stromlo. It could allow you to get in those few extra runs your heart and head wants, but your legs refuse to do.
