The world (and life) moves fast and we humans can only do enough in our lives to keep up with it as best we can. One growing aspect that many are trying to find solutions to in the modern world is how to get to all our daily appointments – work, school, social events – in the most affordable and environmentally conscious way. While EVs are certainly the best current answer to the growing questions, they can often fall outside of reach for many due to costs. Solution: conversion kits, like the CLIP, which boasts the title of “the world’s first & only plug-and-play e-bike upgrade.” While many existing kits fall into the category of mountable hub motors, this device, on the other hand, uses inventive new ideas by building upon decades-old technology. That’s why I was absolutely giddy when I was first approached to test out the CLIP and visit the office here in NYC. You can continue reading below to get my hands-on impressions of this ingenious new device – and be sure to check out the short video of my ride too!
‘Urban mobility made easy’
While friction-drive e-bike technology has been around since 1899, in more recent decades it has been pushed aside in favor of hub motors (first patented in 1895), but CLIP, the company that shares its name with the device, is utilizing the idea’s simplicity to offer wider access to affordable mobility.
The way it works is, the device “clips” onto the front fork of your everyday pedal bike, straddling the wheel, with the contained friction drive moving a small rubber roller that turns the wheel and provides a steady output of pedal assistance to propel the bike forward.
The device itself sports a V-shaped design that comes in two current iterations: a commuter model and an explorer model, with slight variances in performance and specs, but otherwise the same. The sleek water-resistant body houses a brushless DC motor, with a compact 96Wh battery for the commuter model and a 192Wh battery for the explorer model. There’s a small ring-box sized throttle that unplugs from the main unit (which also charges it when plugged in) and attaches to the bike’s handlebars via a simple (and effective) rubber latch along its backside. The addition of this throttle is one of the major upgrades from its first generation model that was discussed in our 2021 launch coverage at Electrek, along with the roller being converted to rubber from aluminum and the lessened size of the battery and overall unit.
Once everything is attached, like a knight rushing down a jousting lane, the main unit juts outward past the front of the bike, assisting the rider up to a steady 15 MPH top speed for up to 6 miles for the commuter model and 12 miles for the explorer model. There are LED lights lining one side that gives you the status of its performance based on color, and it also boasts regenerative braking functionality too, with each stop you make along your journey contributing up to an 18% recharge to the battery. Charging from empty is fairly fast, only taking 30 or 60 minutes via a standard wall outlet depending on your battery size.
One thing I should mention here is that despite the CLIP’s water-resistant rating, it is not intended for use in or after medium to heavy rainfall. The rubber roller has been given treads that funnel water through them as it spins and directs it downward towards the ground, but too much can lead to the device becoming vulnerable to slippage or electrical complications. Though, I don’t know any cycling enthusiasts – manual or electrical – who would actually consider riding around in medium to heavy rainfall, except for truly dire life and death situations, I suppose.
The current iterations of the CLIP will run you $499 shipped for the commuter model and $599 shipped for the explorer model. The way to secure your very own starts with a refundable $50 down payment that puts you on the company’s delivery waitlist and from there it’s just a simple game of patience, with the remaining balance coming due just before it ships.
9to5Toys’ Take
There’s a lot here that I absolutely love – with the company’s driving mission and the device itself. First off, meeting the team face-to-face, getting insight into future plans and upgrades, and seeing how CLIP has begun a sharing service for Newlab – the large building that houses the company along with hundreds of other start-ups – will truly have me keeping a close eye on its upcoming endeavors (which I can speak briefly on here, but am otherwise unable to fully reveal).
The CLIP all began as a commuter solution for New Yorkers, expanding its hope to reach other city commuters (which it has accomplished on multiple continents). There’s plenty of appeal here, specifically for office workers and other such workers with a destination to reach, as the device attaches to the bike’s front tire and pairs with its throttle effortlessly in a matter of seconds. The two models weigh in at 8.8 pounds and 9.8 pounds so its completely fathomable to pop it on, ride to work, lock up your bike as you normally would, and pop it off to carry inside with you. While the 6-mile option might not seem like much – keep in mind that most city commuters, despite spending an hour or more travelling, aren’t often going more than a handful of miles anyway, if that much.
I only have two small gripes of little consequence with its design – echoed by friends who I showed it to and also got to try it out. The first was the lack of a permanent security feature, ie. a way for it to go on the bike and stay on the bike for a short period of time for things like quick stop-offs at a bodega. As it is now, there’s always going to be the possibility that someone comes along and manages to figure out the mechanism to detach it. Of course, CLIP is already preparing a reliable, cost-effective solution. In the meantime though this isn’t the biggest of problems if you’re just using it to get to and from work, or venturing over to a loved one’s home, as you can carry it right along with you and plug it in to charge before you head back out into the streets.
The second problem that I ran into when first trying to attach it to my bike was one I was warned about before even receiving the box in the mail – it’s unfortunately not compatible with a percentage of existing bikes, primarily mountain bikes and others that have suspension forks. I was assured during my visit that the team is hard at work to make the CLIP far more compatible with these types of bikes/forks, while also working on new body designs that can attach elsewhere on the bike (but that’s all I can say at this point). Luckily, after my visit, I was able to borrow a friend’s compatible commuter bike for several days to give the CLIP a test beyond my one-time in-person showing.
While there is technically a third potential problem here, I cannot yet determine if it will actually grow into one or not. As you may have naturally thought upon hearing “friction-drive,” it is utilizing friction to move the tire, which means that the potential for this device to chew through tires is one not to be overlooked. CLIP has assured me riders will likely need not replace tires more than once in a year at most – a typical turnover rate for everyday cyclists. Only time will tell if this holds true.
But other than those very small concerns, I am absolutely loving the CLIP’s convenience, while the price sits at a reasonable rate. I have no office to trek to during workdays, but I have been regularly taking rides when I need to just get out of the apartment, make trips to friend’s homes, or to clear my mind – and I haven’t had any issues come up so far. It cruises along with very little noise compared to other conversion kits on the market and stands up very well to sudden shocks from hitting potholes. No matter how hard I or anyone else tried to bounce the bike on its tires while attached, the CLIP stays in place impressively well. You do have to pedal up to walking speed before the throttle will kick in, but that’s fairly common across a huge portion of EVs and doesn’t bother me in the slightest. I definitely recommend this for folks looking to get some electric assistance while retaining their bike’s ability to still give you some cardio workouts too.
Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for more updates, as I continue testing the CLIP’s long-term capabilities with regular usage. I am also looking forward to returning to Newlab in the future to check out the exciting new models of this device once they’ve been finished.
Buy the CLIP Friction-Drive e-bike Conversion Kit
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