There are likely quite a few people who think that an electric bicycle might come in handy sometimes, but who aren’t willing to buy a whole other bike or permanently convert their existing non-electric model. Well, that’s why the Rubbee was created. It’s an electric drive unit that attaches to a regular bicycle in only a few seconds, and that comes off just as quickly.
The waterproof Rubbee clamps onto the seatpost via a quick release lever, and extends over the bike’s rear wheel. A shock absorber-like arm keeps it pressed down, so that its powered roller is able to maintain contact with the top of the tire – hence the name Rubbee. It reportedly even works on bikes with rear suspension.
The roller is made from a “special polyurethane compound mix” that is said to allow for a good grip between it and the tire, without excessively wearing away at the tire in the process.
Power comes from an integrated 14.4-volt 280-Wh battery pack, that can be fully charged from empty in two hours. Although it can be used to augment the rider’s own pedaling power, in “motor only” mode the Rubbee is able to deliver a top speed of 25 km/h (16 mph) and an average range of 25 km. It offers 800 watts of peak power, and weighs in at 6.5 kg (14 lb).
Riders control the motor’s output level via a handlebar-mounted throttle that stays attached full-time. Should they wish to ride with the Rubbee on their bike but not in use (if they run out of battery power, for instance), it can be flipped up so that its roller isn’t touching the tire.
The device’s London-based designers are currently raising production funds, on Kickstarter. The early bird pledge level of £699 is already gone, but backers can still get a Rubbee for a pledge of £799 (US$1,227), when and if they reach production. More information is available in the pitch video below.
Cyclists interested in quickly adding electric power to their traditional bike might also want to check out the $699 Ridekick – it’s a small battery-powered trailer that pushes the bike to which it's attached.
Sources: Rubbee, Kickstarter
Personally, I would prefer the mid-drive units on the market like the Cyclone or the GNG. The advantage is running the electric motor output through the drivetrain allows the motor to run closest to its most efficient speed. That helps, even though electric motors are supposed to have pretty wide power bands when compared to internal combustion engines.
Incidently, most bicycles (and scooters) sold in China today are electric.
Although it looks good from an engineering point of view, considering the price of a full electric bike, I found the price tag of the Rubbee too high, and it looks more like a solution looking for a problem: If people need a e-bike to ride around, they'll just buy one instead of buying a regular bike + a Rubbee for the same amount of money.
As stated before it needs a protection to keep it from being stolen when you're waiting for a traffic light
Idea = OK Use = NOK
@Mike Strokes We also had a version of that motor in Europe. They still run in collector groups called Solex and was originally produced a France. maybe you're talking about the same machine?
Only, what if your bike has fenders? They would get in the way, would they? And the driving wheel would spread mud all over the place if you run through puddles? Room for a bit of improvement here, still not a bad concept as such.
One thing I would like to see more of is rear motor mounts like this one: http://i.imgur.com/aqR56am.jpg
It allows people to bolt kind of what ever they want to the rear and not have to worry about aesthetics or width. Gas or electric is fine and the electric motor can be can be housed separately from the battery and there isn't a need for it to be compact so it is easy to upgrade etc. Most of the ebikes and such I have seen lack "interchangeable parts" and that is really the larger problem that needs to be solved before we will see any real breakthroughs in ebike pricing.