Bicycles

Brake-mounted Elevate makes mountain bikes electric

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The Elevate motor module shares the rear brake's frame mounts, but can be removed in a few seconds via two quick-release tabs
bimotal
The Elevate system reportedly weighs 5.9 lb (2.7 kg)
bimotal
The Elevate motor module shares the rear brake's frame mounts, but can be removed in a few seconds via two quick-release tabs
bimotal
A diagram highlighting the Elevate components on a bike
bimotal
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There are now a number of kits that allow users to temporarily convert their regular bike into an ebike. While most of those involve swapping in a powered wheel or wheel-roller, Elevate is different – it's installed over the rear disc brake.

Developed by San Francisco-based startup bimotal, Elevate is made specifically for use on mountain bikes. Company founder Toby Ricco invented it after a skiing injury reduced his ability to cycle up steep hills.

The system consists of four main parts – a 750-watt motor that sits above the rear brake, sharing the existing brake mounts; a system-specific brake rotor that has a toothed gear on the inside, which replaces the existing rotor; a cylindrical 250-Wh lithium battery that sits in the bike's water bottle cage; and a handlebar-mounted remote.

The Elevate system reportedly weighs 5.9 lb (2.7 kg)
bimotal

When triggered by the remote, a powered gear on the motor engages the one on the brake rotor, thus turning the wheel. A top speed of 28 mph (45 km/h) is then possible, along with an estimated range of 15 to 30 miles (24 to 48 km) depending on usage. It should be noted that in its current form Elevate is hard-wired and throttle-only, although Ricco tells us that Bluetooth connectivity and a pedal-assist feature are on their way.

On occasions when riders don't wish to use the system, the battery is just pulled out of the cage, and the motor is released from its mounting posts simply by squeezing its two quick-release tabs. The whole setup is claimed to tip the scales at 5.9 lb (2.7 kg), although part of that figure includes the rotor which takes the place of the one already on the wheel.

Elevate was announced this Thursday on Sea Otter Play, the online version of the annual Sea Otter Classic mountain bike festival. The system can be reserved now via the link below, and will be priced at US$1,950. Deliveries are expected to commence early next year.

Source: bimotal

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9 comments
guzmanchinky
Instead of the music can we hear how the motor sounds? Because if it's noisy at all it will be flagged as illegal everywhere, since throttle e-bikes are banned everywhere except open streets. At least in California only pedal assist ebikes up to 500 W and assist cutoff above 18 mph are allowed on *most* trails...
KaiserPingo
Yes, what is the noise ?

I was really happy with this system, until the 1950...
windykites
He beat a girl up the hill! But he needed an e-bike! (lol)
moreover
Can some rich guy please pay off the inventors and bring this down to a reasonable $500 instead of four times that? Note that this concept will also work for recumbents.
BlueOak
This dude has got to get off the dope. *Two Thousand Dollars*?!? For a motor, battery and switch gear?

Please share his sucker list - I have some swamp land in southern Florida available.

You can choose from a very serviceable range of complete eBikes for that kind of money.
Gregg Eshelman
A short chain that goes around the largest sprocket would make it mountable with no parts changes on the bike. You'd just lose the use of the lowest gear for each front chainring.
buzzclick
@Windykites...Did you check out the size of his low gear? That's really low, and he still needed this overpriced gear motor to help him beat the babe up the hill? Loser.
Trylon
@moreover, you can buy a decent mid-drive like the Tongsheng TSDZ2 for a little over $500 with a small battery like this one has, or about $800 with a bigger, better battery. The TSDZ2 has torque-sensing pedal assist which makes it feel like your legs are turbocharged rather than than feeling like an electric motorcycle. And mid-drives have better range and performance since they use the multi-speed drivetrain on the bike to stay in their peak power band.
Karmudjun
Hey, where can purchase this to prove I'm a jerk to some "awesome mountain biking" babe? At $1950, it seems like a perfect statement of how "back to nature" I really am not - and it really stereotypes guys and their lies in the quest for some thighs.