# Rubbee X



## Biker man (5 Nov 2021)

First I hope in right place for some touchy folk just reading about a conversion kit called Rubbee X to turn a bike into a ebike looks good to me.


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## ColinJ (5 Nov 2021)

They will probably go... _Link? _


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## HMS_Dave (5 Nov 2021)

What about if you have panniers/rack? Also it says if you opt for the 3 battery module, it has 350w of power. So illegal then?

For those after a link... https://www.rubbee.co.uk/product/rubbee-x/


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## rualexander (5 Nov 2021)

HMS_Dave said:


> What about if you have panniers/rack? Also it says if you opt for the 3 battery module, it has 350w of power. So illegal then?
> 
> For those after a link... https://www.rubbee.co.uk/product/rubbee-x/


But not illegal in some countries


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## KnittyNorah (5 Nov 2021)

HMS_Dave said:


> What about if you have panniers/rack? Also it says if you opt for the 3 battery module, it has 350w of power. So illegal then?
> 
> For those after a link... https://www.rubbee.co.uk/product/rubbee-x/



It's quite comical, really. 
What if you have not just panniers/rack, but - gasp! - those _unusual_ things which are just very occasionally useful when it (very rarely) rains ie mudguards?


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## fossyant (5 Nov 2021)

It's cheap, BUT, it's direct drive onto the TYRE !


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## fossyant (5 Nov 2021)

KnittyNorah said:


> It's quite comical, really.
> What if you have not just panniers/rack, but - gasp! - those _unusual_ things which are just very occasionally useful when it (very rarely) rains ie mudguards?



Which is the sort of bike you'd fit a motor to, utility/commuting bike, oh no, can't use a rack or mudguard.


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## Cycleops (5 Nov 2021)

ColinJ said:


> They will probably go... _Link? _


I don't think he knows how to post a link.
So @Biker man here's how to do it if you're on a phone or tablet.
Put your finger on the address bar of the page you want to link to and hold it down. You will then see this, click on the share button (two leg logo with three dots) and then you will see a variety of options, click on 'copy link' .
Open the cycle chat page and hold down your finger on the box.



You will see an option to paste so click on that. Your link will appear.


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## ebikeerwidnes (5 Nov 2021)

Looks OK - never seen a successful ebike kit that has friction drive so I would be wary of that 
Also - range quoted is notoriously optimistic and this seems quite low (10 miles for the entry version) so I'm not sure how useful it would be
2 battery version - 20 mile range- would be OK but still shortish
and, as mentioned above, the 3 battery version is illegal in the UK


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## KnittyNorah (5 Nov 2021)

fossyant said:


> It's cheap, BUT, it's direct drive onto the TYRE !


It's like an updated version - electr_onic _rather than electr_ical - _of those dynamo lights we were so pleased and proud to have on our bikes as teenagers in the early 1960s!


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## ebikeerwidnes (5 Nov 2021)

Interesting that it has regen - wonder how effective it is??


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## HMS_Dave (5 Nov 2021)

rualexander said:


> But not illegal in some countries


Yes, but the interesting thing on one of their kickstarter campaigns is that they claim the 3 battery module option is EU/US ebike laws compatible, despite it saying it is it is 350w and tops out at 20 mph...




View: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1732543648/make-your-bike-electric-the-new-rubbee-x
- (under the section 'Power mode-on')

Their words... So is it or isn't it legal in the EU/UK?


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## Biker man (5 Nov 2021)

ebikeerwidnes said:


> Interesting that it has regen - wonder how effective it is??


Don't know yet.


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## Biker man (5 Nov 2021)

KnittyNorah said:


> It's like an updated version - electr_onic _rather than electr_ical - _of those dynamo lights we were so pleased and proud to have on our bikes as teenagers in the early 1960s!


Giving your age away there Knitty 🤠


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## a.twiddler (5 Nov 2021)

Reminds me of the sort of thing that used to be advertised in the Sunday papers years ago. A bolt on roller drive electrical assist unit with rechargeable batteries etc. long before e bikes were a thing. The roller seemed to be its downfall, slipping at the slightest hint of rain, and poor motor power that never lived up to its promise to get you up hills. 

Perhaps Rubbee have overcome all these drawbacks with modern electronics but none of their reviews in that link look convincing. If I was in the market for that sort of thing I'd let someone else (or a lot of someone elses) be a test pilot with their own money to get some feedback first. Curious that if they've supposedly been around in some form or other for so long that we've only just heard of them.


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## IanSmithCSE (5 Nov 2021)

Good afternoon,

Not too sure about cheap, isn't it 579 Euros with just one battery? Extra batteries are 99 Euros each.

Each battery is 94Wh so even with three, which appears to be an illegal UK configuration, but that might be just poor wording on the site, it is still 25% down on the Carrera mentioned below.

I have just looked on the Halfords web site https://www.halfords.com/bikes/elec...tric-hybrid-bike---s/m-m/l-frames-456422.html and £1,100 gets a complete bike with a 367Wh battery.

The FAQ page admits;_ Additional batteries increase the *torque *and range of Rubbee X _

That page also says _We test roller materials for thousands of kilometers (literally!) on the same tire without drastic wear&tear. In any case it is generally recommended to change bicycle tires every *2000-3000 km so we recommend to follow this rule. * _My bold and I do get about 2,500km out of a 23mm almost slick rear tyre, but how many here would be happy with that sort of mileage on 28mm commute tyre?

Halfords cheap and cheerful £650 ebike has a smaller battery at 209Wh, no gears and FWD but that is a complete bike with a rack and mudguards https://www.halfords.com/bikes/electric-bikes/assist-crossbar-hybrid-electric-bike-2021-445814.html

Bye

Ian


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## ebikeerwidnes (5 Nov 2021)

About 7 or so years ago I needed a new tyre for my old Powacycle so I went to the LBS
He sold me a Schwalbe Marathon that claimed to be ebike ready - a term I had not seen on a tyre before - but then this was the first time I had replaced a tyre on an ebike (it was a few years old but I didn;t do as many miles in those days!).
When I looked at it there was a patch around the sidewall of the tyre that seems to be slightly reinforced and roughened - possibly to grip onto some sort of friction drive
I suspect the LBS had had the tyre in for ages and I was the first ebike owner they had seen - they were not a thing in those days

but the sidewall of the tyre made me think that friction drives were thought to be a possibility at one point
although the mechanics and forces need to get decent grip, including on wet tyres, by a clamp on the seat post forcing a drive down at a distance of well over a foot (????) would be a worry


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## a.twiddler (5 Nov 2021)

Maybe for a tyre driven dynamo?


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## Cycleops (5 Nov 2021)

The one big advantage is that's it's easy to install and take on and off, for charging and security. Price would be about the same as a wheel/motor/battery conversion but without the fuss. They're already over their target on the Kickstarter so looks like it could be a goer. I suspect only hard core cyclists might gip at the friction drive.


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## ebikeerwidnes (5 Nov 2021)

a.twiddler said:


> Maybe for a tyre driven dynamo?


Possibly - it certainly looked like that - but I haven;t seen any other like it - and it was unusual to have an 'ebike ready' tyre at the time - still is for that matter


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## classic33 (5 Nov 2021)

Last years news.
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/rubbee.256417/


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## KnittyNorah (5 Nov 2021)

Biker man said:


> Giving your age away there Knitty 🤠


 What on earth gives you the peculiar notion that I might be _coy_ about my age? I am 75, as I have already mentioned several times in posts on here.


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## ebikeerwidnes (5 Nov 2021)

classic33 said:


> Last years news.
> https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/rubbee.256417/


And apparently I made quite a long comment

clearly my memory is going


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## classic33 (5 Nov 2021)

ebikeerwidnes said:


> And apparently I made quite a long comment
> 
> clearly my memory is going


About an E-bike ready tyre as well.


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## Biker man (5 Nov 2021)

KnittyNorah said:


> What on earth gives you the peculiar notion that I might be _coy_ about my age? I am 75, as I have already mentioned several times in posts on here.


So am I .


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## youngoldbloke (6 Nov 2021)

Isn't there a small - father and son -company in Bristol making a much neater tyre friction device? I can't recall the name.


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## Biker man (6 Nov 2021)

KnittyNorah said:


> It's like an updated version - electr_onic _rather than electr_ical - _of those dynamo lights we were so pleased and proud to have on our bikes as teenagers in the early 1960s!


I remember looking at a power wheelbarrow with the same system I think wet and muddy conditions would cause problems.


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## IanSmithCSE (6 Nov 2021)

youngoldbloke said:


> Isn't there a small - father and son -company in Bristol making a much neater tyre friction device? I can't recall the name.


https://revolutionworks.com/pages/revos ?


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## youngoldbloke (6 Nov 2021)

IanSmithCSE said:


> https://revolutionworks.com/pages/revos ?


- that's the one. Much neater. It's the one I'd thought about buying to assist my lighter road bikes, but the predicted range with the 200 Wh battery is too low for me. And you can fit a rear mudguard around it.


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## Pale Rider (6 Nov 2021)

As mentioned, no friction drive has been shown to work reliably.

They either cannot transfer a useful amount of power or they chew the tyre, or often both.

My firm view is the Rubbee is rubbish.


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