Clip-on electric bike: Convert your cruiser to an ebike
Sometimes, it seems like finding good ideas is a difficult task. It’s even more difficult to execute a great idea. Clip’s electric motor attachment is an excellent idea. It is easy to attach, provided that the bike to which it’s mounted doesn’t have front suspension forks. It’s also portable and simple to use. There are some problems with the Clip’s execution. In the end, there’s a fairly narrow set of riders the Clip will benefit.
First, what the heck is a Clip? The company claims that it is “the first instant ebike upgrade you can take anywhere.” It’s an electric motor powered by batteries that attaches directly to the front fork of a bike, in a similar way to old Solex mopeds. The small wheel that is placed in contact with the front tire of a bicycle provides a friction-drive coupling for adding electric power. The good news is, it works. The battery and motor unit is less than 10 pounds, and it’s easy to transport. It takes only a few moments to attach it to a bike. Attaching the motor unit requires two hands, some fiddling and two fingers to make sure the drive wheel is in proper contact with the tire. Due to the weight of the forks, they do feel a bit floppy. However, once you start moving them around this feeling disappears. Even on rough roads, there’s no way that the Clip unit could detach accidentally. The main Clip unit is equipped with a small remote control that can be used to charge the battery. A rubber flap attaches the remote to the handlebar of the bike. The motor is activated by a large red button and the regenerative brakes are controlled by a smaller, more discreet button. The Clip offers a good amount of assistance on flat surfaces. This makes pedaling easier. The boost function can be activated by pressing the large red button. It is powerful enough to make the bike move even when the rider doesn’t pedal. The Clip worked well in the small urban area where we tested it. The unit’s power is sufficient to keep up with the number of cars parked in the area, as well as people pushing strollers and walking dogs. The Clip Explorer has a range of up to 12 miles, while the Clip Commuter’s is up to 6 miles. We think that range estimates will be accurate with a little pedaling assistance, again, assuming that there is no incline. We used the Boost feature to get a little speed up before the steep incline on our single-speed bike. The LED lights show the rider that it is working for around 30 seconds, before the electric assistance stopped. When it appears to drop, it does so completely. We repeated the test after pulling over, removing and reinstalling the Clip unit. The results were the same. The FAQs, accessed by a QR code on the Clip unit, revealed that there are safety features to prevent the motor from overheating or burning out. This is a great idea. Unfortunately, the battery power is not enough to climb the hills we tested. The choice of tire could also affect how much help the Clip can provide, but we only tested one machine. As they say, your mileage may vary. We mean it literally. This clip-on ebike is a great option for buyers who are looking for a bit of assistance in flat urban areas. If you need more electric assistance than what the Clip offers, then it may be worth considering a dedicated ebike.
