the Add-e from Austria

[Colleen McGuire]

Does anyone have experience with the Add-e from Austria? In the DYI Bike Kit category, it seems like a game changer. But is the 600 Watt durable for long distance rides (30-50 miles) and ascents up to 2000 feet? It the 600 watt as noisy as the 250 watt. What is the Add-e's biggest issue for long distance rides?

 

[Nirmala]

I trust you have seen the reviews on here:
https://electricbikereview.com/add-e/250w-kit/
https://electricbikereview.com/add-e/600w-kit/

There are also questions with any friction drive as to how long the drive's surface will last, and also how long the tire being driven will last. Also there are questions about the traction the drive system will have in less than ideal circumstances, i.e. wet or dusty conditions.

I have pre-ordered another competing friction drive called the ShareRoller. I wish I could tell you how that is working out, but the initial shipments have been delayed (they are now saying mid-March for the first shipments). Court reviewed an earlier version (V1), but since then they have made major revisions and are now up to V4. Here is Court's review of V1: https://electricbikereview.com/?s=ShareRoller

You can read more about it, including updated features, on the forum here: https://electricbikereview.com/foru...y-described-illustrated-here.3176/#post-88097

One possibly helpful piece of info is that V4 will have a means of attaching it to the seatpost for use on the rear wheel. If you are concerned about using a motor on carbon fiber forks as in your other post, that might be an option if you happen to have a steel seatpost. In general, it is usually not a good idea to clamp anything onto carbon fiber tubing.

 

[Colleen McGuire]

Thank you Nirmala for your response. It was very helpful since I had not heard of Shareroller. I went to their website but it talks of placing orders before 2-15-2016! And there are no prices. I did go to the Forum link you sent and will save it since I am not able to read it all for now.

 

[Nirmala]

Thank you Nirmala for your response. It was very helpful since I had not heard of Shareroller. I went to their website but it talks of placing orders before 2-15-2016! And there are no prices. I did go to the Forum link you sent and will save it since I am not able to read it all for now.

Yes, it was crowd-funded project last year and now they are busy preparing for production. Once it is actually available, they should have ordering available again. The latest info from the company is that they should start shipping in mid-March, but there have been many delays up to now.

Expected retail prices and a whole lot more info is available on their indiegogo page: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/shareroller-add-on-e-power-for-bikes-scooters#/

But remember that the design has evolved a lot since then. Here is what it looks like now: