Skip to main content

The Rubbee X makes converting your standard bicycle to electric easier than ever

Rubbee X
Are you the owner of a regular bicycle who now wishes that you had invested that money in an electric ebike instead? Rather than wallow in buyer’s remorse, you may instead want to check out a new Kickstarter campaign for the Rubbee X, a lightweight conversion device that promises to give any regular bike an electric makeover.

“Rubbee X works by providing electric assist directly to the rear tire via an electric friction roller,” Gediminas Nemanis, CEO of Rubbee, told Digital Trends. “It has modular batteries to extend the rides, regenerative braking, and not a single wire. We track the pedaling pattern by attaching a small wireless sensor to the pedal crank. This way, we know when and how much additional support to provide to the rider in real time. There are no buttons to push; just pedal and your power will be multiplied 2 to 3 times. It’s a pure electric assist system.”

Rubbee first burst onto the scene with its motorized roller bike conversion system back in 2013. This latest product represents the third iteration of that idea, giving the team plenty of time to hone their design. It also features a bunch of new innovations — including the ability to replace batteries, rather than being stuck with the one integrated lithium-ion battery pack of previous models, a new regenerative braking feature that’s activated by pedaling backwards half a revolution, and an 14-LED brake light and turn indicator.

“All previous generations of Rubbee were based on all-metal construction, which made them heavy,” Nemanis  said. “We already had the fastest installation time in the world — around 7 seconds — but with the new Rubbee X, which is about 50 percent lighter than its predecessors, the installation is even quicker. It now takes about 1 second. We also used to have one wire going to the pedal sensor, but now Rubbee X is completely wireless. This enables the unit to be installed super-easily by everyone. We’re offering Ikea-like user friendliness.”

If you’re interested in acquiring a Rubbee X of your own, you can currently pre-order a unit on Kickstarter for a starting price of 269 British pounds ($356). Shipping is set to take place in June 2018.

Until then, you’ll just have to keep pedaling a bit harder!

Editors' Recommendations

Luke Dormehl
I'm a UK-based tech writer covering Cool Tech at Digital Trends. I've also written for Fast Company, Wired, the Guardian…
The BrewCube aims to make cold brewing at home easier than ever
brewcube cold brew kitchen counter

Previous

Next

Read more
The Cowboy ebike may usher in the next generation of electric bicycles
cowboy e bike cowboy01

21st century cowboys aren't riding around on horses. They've found ebikes instead. At least, that seems to be the hope of Belgian startup Cowboy, which is building a unique style of smart electronic bicycle. The Cowboy bike purports to be the new standard in ebikes, and unlike its compatriots and competitors, doesn't actually look like an electronic piece of machinery. It just looks like a bike.

The Cowboy bike boasts a fully concealed 252 WH, key-secured battery in its seatpost (which means there's no other bulky motor cramping its style), which can be charged in 2.5 hours. You'll be able to keep tabs on how juiced up your bike is thanks to a display that is built into the Cowboy's top tube. And because the battery weighs in at under four pounds, it doesn't add any major heft to the craft. In fact, the whole bike weighs just 35 pounds.

Read more
Evowheel claims to turn your bike from manual to electric in 30 seconds
EvoWheel

Previous

Next

Read more