The Velosolex, the bike with the motor on the front wheel, is the model for the Clip Bike. Not only do they both transmit power directly to the front tire using a roller in a technically simple way. The creators of the Clip Bike also hope that their vehicle will become as style-defining as the Velosolex, which has long since achieved cult status.
It is currently difficult to say whether the Clip Bike will succeed. It looks as if the Bernina design department has been at work. But if the people behind the Clip Bike manage to win over the right influencers for it - just like Brigitte Bardot and Steve McQueen were immortalized on the Solex - then anything is possible.
Of course, the makers of the Clip Bike believe they have hit the jackpot with its practical features. The motor-battery unit is attached to the fork without tools. When you arrive at your co-working space or vegan café, you simply detach the clip and take it with you. This way, it can be charged at the socket and the e-bike is not stolen, but at most the bike is.
The New York start-up sees the price and weight of an e-bike as its biggest weaknesses, which it hopes to eliminate with the clip. In Switzerland, there is nothing to suggest that many people are put off buying an e-bike because it is so heavy or costs too much. But the possibility of upgrading the city bike with a clip-on motor for 399 dollars may yet convince one or two early adopters. The first series of Clips is already sold out, according to the website. The second will be delivered in summer 2021, but only in the USA.
By the way: the "real" Velosolex is now also available with an electric motor.
www.clip.bike
www.e-solex.fr