The last electric The mountain bike I tested cost $8,000. That’s a lot of money and a lot of functional parts to troubleshoot when things go wrong, as they eventually will with any bike. Alternatively, the Clip, which is touted as the “first plug-and-play device for upgrading bikes” starts at $500 and doesn’t even need a companion app.
Designed in Brooklyn with urban commuters in mind, this simple clamshell-shaped device clips to the front wheel of a commuter bike, instantly electrifying the ride. Even before Clip started manufacturing the device in 2021, it earned a spot in Time magazine. Best inventions of 2020 list. The following year, it hit the Fast Company market. Ideas that change the world List. With one billion bikes on the road around the world, it’s easy to see why this simple, cost-effective solution has such immense 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 WH battery and motor. 450 watts for a range of 10 to 12 miles.
Photography: 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 cover. Align the clip, like an open clam, over the front wheel of your bike and it will attach to the fork blade through a rubber groove. Two small red arms also extend around the fork. When you close it, the arms fit tightly around each fork blade. At the top of the wheel, a plastic roller is always in contact with the rubber tire.
Once the Clip is secure in its three positions, the bike is ready to roll and can be electrified whenever the rider chooses to activate it using a friction drive. A friction drive differs from a traditional engine in that the power to the front wheel is activated by surface friction rather than the teeth of an engine’s teeth. (Due to this need for friction, it is essential to keep the front tire inflated to 85 PSI at all times.)