The company Cyplore presented, in April this year, a conversion kit that transforms bicycles common in electrical. The product was announced in a Kickstarter campaign and seeks to offer a alternative for those who want electrical assistance without having to buy a new bike.
Kickstarter is an online platform that helps raise funds to create companies or products: an entrepreneur shares his idea and random people online donate a specific amount to help finance the project. The website played a fundamental role in getting Cyplore’s idea off the ground and making it a reality.
For those in a hurry:
- Cyplore’s kit transforms ordinary bicycles into electric ones, weighs just 1.7 kg, and still maintains the bike’s original look and pedal sensation;
- The material is available in two versions: Flex (motor coupled to the existing wheel) and One (rear wheel complete with integrated motor, heavier);
- It has integration with an app to show data such as speed and battery, and is still in the crowdfunding phase on Kickstarter.
Alternative to transforming common bicycles
Cyplore’s proposal is to allow cyclists convert your traditional bicycles into electric models quickly, safely and without complex modifications. The kit weighs approximately 1.7 kg — in the Flex model — and It was developed to maintain lightness and drivability.
The company offers two versions of the systemcalls Flex and Onewhich differ mainly in the form of installation and weight distribution.
- Flex: the system is attached to the existing bicycle wheel (as long as it meets the specifications), without the need to replace it. THE engine is added to the set, maintaining the original structure of the bicycle. Installation involves also the separate battery in the framewhich helps to better distribute the weight, which is around 1.7kgpreserving the dynamics.
- One: already this model completely replaces the bicycle wheel by a new wheel already equipped with the integrated electrical system. That simplifies installationmaking the process more direct. On the other hand, as the engine and other components are concentrated in the wheel itself, there is a change in weight distributionwhich may impact drivability compared to the Flex model.
Both models are in a financing campaign – Image: CyploreIn both cases, electrical assistance is activated according to the cyclist’s needs, helping with climbs or longer journeys. One type of control is attached to the handlebars to switch in four modes manual and adaptive. THE autonomy can reach approx. 50 kmdepending on conditions of use, such as terrain and level of assistance.
Another point of the system is the integration with an applicationwhich functions as the electrical assistance control center. Through the app, the user can follow pedaling data, such as speed and battery usage level.
For now, the product not available on the traditional market. Cyplore chose to launch the kit through a crowdfunding which indicates that the project is still in the initial market phase.
