Bicycles

Envo kit turns regular bikes into snow-going ebikes

Envo kit turns regular bikes into snow-going ebikes
The kit is claimed to work with most existing mountain bikes
The kit is claimed to work with most existing mountain bikes
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According to Envo, the kit delivers a top motor-assisted speed of 18 km/h (11 mph) and is good for a range of about 10 km (6 miles) – or two hours of use – per 8-hour charge
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According to Envo, the kit delivers a top motor-assisted speed of 18 km/h (11 mph) and is good for a range of about 10 km (6 miles) – or two hours of use – per 8-hour charge
The kit is claimed to work with most existing mountain bikes
2/3
The kit is claimed to work with most existing mountain bikes
The components of the basic kit – the battery and snowboard are extra
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The components of the basic kit – the battery and snowboard are extra
View gallery - 3 images

We've already seen kits for converting traditional bikes to ebikes, and for converting them to pedal-powered snow machines. The Electric SnowBike Kit goes a step further, by combining the two.

Manufactured by Canadian electric mobility company Envo, the kit is designed for use with existing mountain bikes.

At the heart of the setup is the aluminum-bodied bogie unit, which replaces the rear wheel. It incorporates a snowmobile-like lugged rubber/Kevlar tread which runs over a 1,200-watt rear hub-type motor on top, and along the underside of a series of polyethylene rollers on the bottom.

The bike's existing chain delivers the rider's leg power to a sprocket attached to the side of the motor, while a down-tube-mounted 48V/17.5-Ah lithium-ion battery pack provides it with electrical power.

A crank-mounted sensor detects when the rider is pedalling, signalling the motor to kick in accordingly. If the rider wishes, they can also activate the motor without pedalling, via a handlebar-mounted thumb throttle switch. Also on the bars is an LCD control panel that displays data such as the motor-assist setting, current speed, and battery charge level.

The components of the basic kit – the battery and snowboard are extra
The components of the basic kit – the battery and snowboard are extra

For relatively hard-packed snow, users may wish to keep the bike's existing front wheel in place. For deeper snow, however, an included adapter allows them to replace that wheel with a snowboard – they can use their own, or buy one from Envo as an optional extra.

According to the company, the kit delivers a top motor-assisted speed of 18 km/h (11 mph) and is good for a range of about 10 km (6 miles) – or two hours of use – per 8-hour charge. It should be noted that the bike's chain length needs to be adjusted and its rear derailleur has to be removed, so installation isn't necessarily something that anyone can do quickly, without any help.

The Envo Electric SnowBike Kit is currently available for preorder via the link below. It's priced at CAD$2,789 (about US$2,145) although that figure doesn't include the battery, which is an additional CAD$895 (US$688).

You can see the kit in action, in the following video.

Source: Envo

Envo Snowbike kit

View gallery - 3 images
4 comments
4 comments
paul314
Expensive, but it would be such fun. And not nearly so expensive (or loud) compared to a full-up snow machine. I wonder what rules it would fit under.
Samira Goodarzi
I have tried it once. I like the part where two of my favorite sports merge into one. It is fun indeed.
buzzclick
Snowmobiles have little wheels that keep the front skis from grinding on surfaces that aren't snow packed (happens more often than you may think). How deep the snow and how dense it is counts. Going downhill, brakes aren't necessary? Snow, like sand can be a terrible power hog. This small saddle looks cool, but could be a little larger. If the snow's not too deep, this could be fun.
PAV
I wonder if this would work on dry sand.