E-bikes are great for many reasons, but they can be expensive. I’d heard of ways to turn a regular bike into an e-bike with the help of conversion kits, which usually consist of a battery, a motor, and some type of attachment system. The kits usually seemed too involved, requiring me to tweak the hub, replace the back wheel entirely, or add electrical wiring and thread cables throughout the bike. I didn’t want to go all Mad Max on my bike, so I discarded the whole conversion idea entirely. But then I learned about the Clip, a device you can attach to almost any bike’s front tire — without any tools — to power a regular bike like an electric one with pedal-assisting power. It sounded a little too good to be true: Was turning my single-speed commuter bike into an e-bike this easy?
I reached out to Clip this spring, and the brand sent me its Explorer ($599) device to test out. (There’s a less powerful version, the Commuter, for $499.) When I opened the box, I was surprised by how simple the setup was. There was no assembly and no confusing app pairing or tinkering involved. There weren’t even any wires other than the charging cable. The instruction manual was also straightforward: You spread the Clip’s arms open and rest its center wheel (which is what powers you forward) on your front tire. I had the Clip installed in less than a minute. The best part was I didn’t need to modify anything major (though I did have to remove my front basket because it got in the way of the Clip resting on my front fork).
Once it was on, the Clip felt intuitive to use from my first ride. I noticed the device’s wheel has an auto-roll feature — the center wheel slightly powers your front tire (as it’s rolling) even when you’re not pedaling. Then when you pedal, the Clip gives it a more significant boost (up to 15 mph, according to Clip’s website). It also has a wireless-remote button that attaches to your handlebars. You can press it for a full boost without pedaling, like hitting the throttle on a motorcycle or an e-bike.
The other thing I noticed was the added weight on my bike’s front end. At 9.8 pounds (the Commuter is 8.8), the Explorer takes some getting used to. The attachment and detachment process had a similar learning curve — not because it was hard to do but because I wanted to make sure the Clip’s center wheel was resting just right on my front tire. Getting it on the first few times took some adjusting, but after the third ride, I was popping it on and off quickly.
Since testing the Clip for the past few weeks on rides around town, I’m overall really impressed with how it powers my bike. The boost makes it easier to power up long climbs (especially on bridges), and that auto-roll feature gives me a constant nudge forward, making me feel like I’m zooming. It doesn’t have quite the same oomph as an e-bike — like the white electric Citi Bikes, for example — but it’s still a noticeable difference from regular pedaling.
The main drawback is that its battery doesn’t last very long, and the decrease in power is noticeable when you’re running low on juice. The Explorer has a 12-mile range, while the Commuter goes for six miles, so they’re intended to be plugged in and recharged frequently between rides. That means on longer rides, you may want to bring your charger just in case — otherwise, you’ll be left with deadweight on your front tire.
You also have to figure out what to do with the device once you reach your destination. There’s a loop at the top that you can thread a lock through, but I thought it was safest to just remove it and keep it with me off-bike. It’s a nine-pound weight that’s about the size of a small space heater, and if you don’t have a deep enough bag or backpack to hold it, it can be a little unwieldy to carry. (I once forgot to bring a bag to run errands around town and had to carry the Clip with me, which elicited some weird looks from strangers.)
On a recent ride, another cyclist pulled up to me at a light and asked how I liked the Clip (they were considering buying one). I told them that it worked surprisingly well and that it would be a great option for folks who may not want to get a full-on e-bike for whatever reason (such as cost or lack of space). Then the light turned green and I sped off, barely pedaling.
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