Skarper e-bike module doo-dah

[fossyant]

One for you 'assisted bunch'

Sounds like a nice compact alternative.

https://www.bikeradar.com/news/skarper-ebike-conversion-kit/

 

[bonzobanana]

Seems like a very good option and if there is a fault with the unit just remove it and carry on using the bike. At around £1000 its a premium product as many whole ebikes retail at similar or less prices. You can get ebike kits for bikes including batteries from about £350 like Yose power kits. Also its clearly limited to disc only bikes that can be converted and probably fairly standard frames not 20" folding bikes with disc brakes etc.

I understand its far less stressful to the stays compared to disc brakes but it could add another frequency of fatigue to the stays to shorten their lifespan. Fatigue is all about flexing and I can't see how this wouldn't increase flexing of the left rear stay, yes the flexing would be less than hard use of your rear disc brake but it would be enabling and cutting off power quite often. Probably not an issue unless you have a very lightweight performance road bike.

 

[Milkfloat]

I suspect a lot of the cost of a unit is going on paying Red Bull and Chris Hoy.

 

[fossyant]

No use to me anyway, as I'll have an ebike over my dead body. Just thought it looked rather neat.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

No mention of range but I would expect it is rather limited
I also can't see any way in which it detects use input - e.g. a torque sensor or similar - so I'm not sure how it decides how much to assists - or when
Might be useful for commuting in some cases - if you can mount it on an old looking bike and just take it off then the chances of theft are much reduced

 

[numbnuts]

No use to me anyway, as I'll have an ebike over my dead body. Just thought it looked rather neat.

I thought the same, but as I got older something for the “weekend” was not an option and the thought of not riding was frightening so the etrike was born best £600 (kit) I've every spent, even more so without a car so using it with a trailer to get all my shopping.

 

[wiggydiggy]

I like the look of that, I'd like to know if the battery is removable to be replaced or if it's a sealed unit. Also would battery extenders be available.

Have to wait till next year I'm guessing to find out.

 

[KnittyNorah]

I like the look of that, I'd like to know if the battery is removable to be replaced or if it's a sealed unit. Also would battery extenders be available.

Have to wait till next year I'm guessing to find out.

Battery not removeable, sealed unit.

Their current ad, while giving full details 'deep within' re power, magical algorithms etc, is frankly nothing more or less than click bait.

The ad clearly states 'transform any bike into an e-bike with just one click'.
Lies, blatant lies.
Bike needs to be (a) disc brakes (b) 26 - 29" wheels. So most definitely NOT 'any bike'.

 

[New Horizon]

This seems to be finally coming to market in Jan/Feb next year. Now priced at £1500, it's certainly looks to be a well designed unit, and the option to buy more discs so that it can be shared between bikes is useful, although at £400 for the disk drive, it seems to be taking the michael somewhat. The range is limited, with a max of 31 miles in 'eco' mode, but I guess that sits with the intended use. Not something that I will jump on immediately, but will certainly but watching the reviews and feedback.
https://skarper.com/

 

[Drago]

Or you could just buy an ebike.

 

[New Horizon]

I suspect a lot of people will quickly come to that conclusion.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I would wonder how long it will last and how long before the battery start to wear out and the ranbge drops

my Raleigh ebike would manage 60 miles or so on a single charge - in summer on flat roads anyway. Even then it would have a little bit of juice left
and the lower the range the more often it needs charging - and every charge slightly reduces the battery capacity

so 35 is no great boast - and it costs about the same as a decent ebike with longer range and more well known and tested technology

Also - these small companies making one product tend to come up and then go again
which leaves a problem if the thing goes wrong in a couple of years

 

[classic33]

The need to reword their site, linked above, as IP55 isn't waterproof.

 

[New Horizon]

The need to reword their site, linked above, as IP55 isn't waterproof.

They do clarify this in the FAQ's, but agreed, the blanket 'waterproof' on the main page needs changing.

 

[bonzobanana]

£1500 for 45Nm torque and a 240Wh battery? I totally understand developing this cost a lot of money and all this has to be paid back with profit on top but still not great value when other solutions work as well using established technology. I'll probably wait for the Chinese knock off version for £300 in a couple years. However I totally accept this is a premium proprietary product which personally I would never buy anyway, I detest proprietary designs for ebikes where everything costs more and often the products have a short life and end up in landfill despite their higher price. I prefer building an ebike around established components so you can replace parts and battery packs long into the future.