last lightning Mountain bike The cost I tested is $8,000. That's a lot of dough, and there are a lot of working parts to troubleshoot when things go sideways, as they eventually will. with any bikeAlternatively, the Clip, which markets itself as “the first plug-and-play bike-upgrade device,” starts at $500 and doesn't even require a companion app.
Designed with urban commuters in Brooklyn as the target demographic, this simple, clamshell-shaped device clips to the front wheel of a commuter bike, providing instant electrification throughout the ride. Even before Clips started manufacturing the device in 2021, it earned a spot in Time magazine best inventions of 2020 List. The following year, it influenced Fast Company world changing ideas List. With over a billion bicycles in circulation worldwide, it's easy to see why this simple, cost-effective solution has such great appeal.
plug and play
Compatible with road, commuter and hybrid models – any bike with 26 to 28-inch wheels and no front suspension – the Clip comes in two sizes. There's the 8.8-pound Commuter, with a 96-watt-hour battery and 450-watt motor, for a range of four to six miles, and the 9.8-pound Explorer, with a 192-watt-hour battery and 450-watt motor. 10- to 12-mile range.
Photograph: Stephanie Pearson
They both work in the same simple way, and you don't need any tools. Simply press a button on the top of the device, which opens the clip's clamshell. Align the clip on your bike's front wheel, like an open clam, and it attaches to the fork blade via rubberized grooves. Two small red arms also extend around the fork. When you snap it shut, the arms fit tightly around each fork blade. A plastic roller at the top of the wheel is always in contact with the rubber tire.
Once the clip is secured in its three positions, the bike is ready to roll and can be electrified whenever the rider wants to engage via friction drive. A friction drive differs from a conventional motor in that power to the front wheel is actuated by surface friction rather than by the teeth in the motor. (Because of this need for friction, it is necessary to keep the front tire inflated to 85 psi at all times.)