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Looks interesting
Simple to install but I can’t help think the mechanical connection will be a bit delicate and range won’t be anything like the stated low distance if it is ridden hard.
Mountain bikes are probably not the intended market tbh but as said I find a certain appeal in the design and implementation .
is that driving the rear disk?
It does appear to be yes, although a modified disk to suit.
Quite how it meshes I haven’t had time to look into. Suspect it must have a gear somewhere but it must be small for the torque it is being asked to cope with - hence my concern over longevity etc.
Chris Hoy is involved, so must be good. 🙂
Freedom to choose:
install on any bike with a disc brake.
Not much of a choice if all your bikes have rim brakes.
install on any bike with a disc brake
I question its suitability to a horst link rear end...
Not much of a choice if all your bikes have rim brakes.
Propbably still got a gas telly as well!...
"Starting at £1000" ?!? Blimey
Seems to be a ring gear with a freeweheel just under the disk. Motor enagages a spline inside a pinion wheel that drives the ring. Not sure it's 6-bolt compatible as all the bikes and their drawings appear to show a centrelock device.
As a larger footed gentleman, I can't help thinking I'd be rubbing my heels on that an awful lot.
Propbably still got a gas telly as well!…
How bloody dare you, I have all the mod cons 😂
It's over on bikeradar, mtb version in development they say.
Regen braking?
I read the Bikeradar article and the fact that you can put the unit in your back pack before tackling descents sounds appealing
Not much of a choice if all your bikes have rim brakes.
It doesn't look like you need the actual caliper, just a compatible rotor mount.
squirrelking
Free MemberNot much of a choice if all your bikes have rim brakes.
It doesn’t look like you need the actual caliper, just a compatible rotor mount
That's what I was thinking. It also means that I could share it with my daughter as we usually ride at different times
200wh. That will last.
You should get at least 12 miles out of that.
Do you need to install their hub onto your wheel as well?
That looks really good. 60km range, I wonder what real world range over hilly terrain would be.
Looks like a nice idea. How much does the system weigh?
twonks
Full Member
It does appear to be yes, although a modified disk to suit.Quite how it meshes I haven’t had time to look into. Suspect it must have a gear somewhere but it must be small for the torque it is being asked to cope with – hence my concern over longevity etc.>
Seems to be strapped/zip tied to the chainstay, how that provides a stiff, aligned interface between motor and disc I don't know. Seems really delicate, but they must have thought about this.
No need for a new hub it is just a modified brake disc. I think the brake disk takes the load of the unit as well. Weight is about 3.3 kg not sure if that is drive unit only or drive unit plus extra disc weight which I think I saw at 300g in the Bikeradar article.
For me it is a possibility, there are some rides that involve a long boring slog up a road hill with big squishy tyres and I do think to myself it would be nice to have a bit of extra push for those. Then take it off and stick it in the back pack for the off road sections. Also the fact that it can be used on more than one bike may be good.
Seems to be strapped/zip tied to the chainstay, how that provides a stiff, aligned interface between motor and disc I don’t know. Seems really delicate, but they must have thought about this.
Whell i guess as it's UNDER the chainstay, the opposing force against the drive will be pushing it INTO the chainstay, so really it jsut needt to be held in place, and the opposing forces will keep it there?
DrP
“Starting at £1000” ?!? Blimey
Plus a bike to put it on. May as well put the money to a decent eBike.
Seems like an option for many of us who have bikes and may be interested in dipping a toe into ebike land without having to spend oodles to get something equivalent to our existing bikes. In that light £1k isn't that bad.
FYI, if you have Third party indemnity/Liability cover etc (UK or British Cycling etc) check if you're still covered when using any bolt on e-bike kit.
Most are voided by these type of conversions
@Fat-boy-fat That was my thought process. I fancy building the next N+1 as a form of ebike and so far it always starts to get either silly expensive or 'will this work' very quickly, despite having a lot of the (non eeb bits) kit already.
The skarper kit solves the problems instantly, just build an old bike up and bolt it on.
But, range is a bit rubbish, mechanically it looks a bit weak and £1000 is a bit steep considering the price of mid mount Bafang kits and the like. Then again, I am not the target market for it as is.
Interested to see what they come up with for MTBs or if somebody rides the kit as is over dirt and through forests.
These were at the MEC Cycle Show today - seed to be getting a fair bit of interest.