Rubbee Electric Bike Motor - Questions/Thoughts

[caseymatalone]

Hello!

I am new to this community because I have recently discovered Court's videos on youtube and have been considering an electric bike or bike kit more and more. I am an a relatively light individual about 145 lb and am 5' 7".

One bike motor kit or add on motor I have seen and been intrigued by, is the Rubbee electric bike motor that I first saw on Kickstarter a few weeks ago. This is the link to their website: http://www.rubbee.co.uk/

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

There is currently almost no actual video reviews online for this product so I thought I would ask some of you all what your thoughts are on this friction drive add on motor. Would any of you consider buying this item instead of another bike kit?

Thanks!

 

[flymeaway]

Would any of you consider buying this item instead of another bike kit?

Thanks!

Short answer...no.

 

[caseymatalone]

Any explanation of why though? Or recommendations of other kits?

 

[flymeaway]

Any explanation of why though? Or recommendations of other kits?

For one, friction drive, inefficient and dependent on weather and rear wheel condition. No fine control, just PAS on/off, no discussion of power/speed output profile. 25KPH/16MPH is fairly slow, they claim 800W peak output, 250W on a 14.4v battery, without detail. Hard to substantiate their claims. Takes up whatever space a rear rack would be installed. Most commuters like a rear rack.

The only advantage I can see, you can take it off quickly. If you want to be able to switch your bike back and forth it's probably a good compromise. But, if you want to optimize the efficiency of the system and don't need the ability to take the system off the bike, just about any rear, or front hub motor would be better.

They sell it as a commuting option and if you are committed to using an electric bike for commuting I would convert the bike to an all electric commuter bike.

Court J.

 

[J.R.]

One bike motor kit or add on motor I have seen and been intrigued by

Hey Casey, welcome. Think about how this system will live with your life and routine. Will you want to lug this thing around everywhere you go whenever you lock your bike up? It would seem to be really hard on an average bike's aluminum frame, possibly a steel frame could take it. The power transfer alone will EAT the battery and that loss will reduce range significantly. A lot of money to be a beta tester... I do think you can do better. Good luck!

 

[caseymatalone]

Thank you Flymeaway and J.R.for the feedback! I appreciate your time here.

Personally I already have a nice bike and I like the idea of being able to take it off when I want to go riding on rougher terrain. The efficiency of the system is definitely debatable as I have done research on the drive type and have seen when implemented correctly the inefficiency is not bad. The question is if it is implemented correctly or not, I believe it is lacking in pressure between the driver and the bike wheel which would cause slippage and thus inefficiency.

I do agree it seems rather slow as well and weather would cause an issue. Those are definitely a large disadvantages. In theory this could create a large amount of torque because of the reduction from the driver wheel to the bike wheel though, hills would be attainable.

Being that I already have a decent bike I would rather have a kit than have to go out and get another bike. The only other option I see really is Bionx, for their quality. Even then I still have an issue with the extra weight on my wheel and the fact that the hub motor will kill my battery up the hills in my area.

So I'll continue thinking, thanks again!

 

[Kaldeem]

I wouldn't consider this friction drive because of the size and style, but for a quick swap from a normal semi used bike to an ebike, I'm kinda interested. If I could find something similar to the ADD-E here in the states, that would be worth looking at. Here's the website, they are 250% funded on indiegogo and the unit costs 1200 usd or 1100 euro. That's kinda expensive IMO.

 

[MLB]

Yes, if you are healthy and enjoy riding and want a small amount of boost, I would definitely consider it.
We as humans are very weak (output). Even this small little device probably boosts your strength to double? or there abouts?
Unless you want a moped and/or to go 30+mph you'll usually be using a very small % of the high powered E assists in normal (not hilly!) riding if you peddle all the time.
It's a cool little gizmo and would probably REALLY be sufficient for a suprising amount of actual bikers on flat ground.

But it won't sell because it won't power a bike to 30mph with throttle only...........