Rubbee
- Thread starter Venod
- Start date
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ebikeerwidnes
Guru
- Location
- Z’ha’dum
Seems like it powers the bike by a friction grip on the top of the rear wheel - which should work but is a bit low tech - may not be OK for all bikes such as my wife's folder
Also needs the seat post to have quite a bit of clearance
And the bike cannot have a rear mudguard or luggage rack
But it should work OK and would be very convenient if you only want the motor some of the time
Not sure of the legality of it in the UK (EU??) as you can push its cutoff past the 15.5 limit just by adding a 3rd battery - the regulations say that you can't have a switch to override the cutoff - not sure how that would be viewed if you were in an accident
Also needs the seat post to have quite a bit of clearance
And the bike cannot have a rear mudguard or luggage rack
But it should work OK and would be very convenient if you only want the motor some of the time
Not sure of the legality of it in the UK (EU??) as you can push its cutoff past the 15.5 limit just by adding a 3rd battery - the regulations say that you can't have a switch to override the cutoff - not sure how that would be viewed if you were in an accident
Pale Rider
Legendary Member
The Rubbee has been around for a few years, but none of these friction drive systems work well.
They either shred the tyre as Edward points out, or the contact is so light there is very little drive.
Avoid.
They either shred the tyre as Edward points out, or the contact is so light there is very little drive.
Avoid.
12boy
Guru
- Location
- Casper WY USA
I saw this idea in the sixties only with a small gas motor. Pretty sure some worked on the rim.
ebikeerwidnes
Guru
- Location
- Z’ha’dum
I used to have a very old 'ebike ready' tyre on my Powacycle many years ago - it had a knobbly section along the side for a friction grip motor
I have also seen very old ebikes on ebay (etc) where the drive is provided via friction on one or other tyre - every write up I have seen on them says the concept had big problems compared to hub drive
I have also seen very old ebikes on ebay (etc) where the drive is provided via friction on one or other tyre - every write up I have seen on them says the concept had big problems compared to hub drive
a.twiddler
Veteran
If you want a "minimal" ebike maybe better off with Swytch particularly if you have a bike that you like and just want to motorize it. That is a reversible conversion too. Maybe not for heavy use but probably OK for leisure. A better bet than buying a cheap ebike with basic spec for about the same price as Swytch. Have seen some decent reviews.