MICROMOBILITY
“I’VE ALWAYS BEEN AN ADVOCATE OF GETTING MORE PEOPLE ON BIKES, REGARDLESS OF THEIR
FITNESS, ABILITY OR AGE, AND I’VE DISCOVERED THAT E-BIKES CAN PLAY A HUGE ROLE IN MAKING CYCLING MORE ACCESSIBLE TO ANYONE”
doesn’t quite join the two. Swytch is selling directly from its website, so it’s not something that retailers will be able to make the most of, and they might not necessarily want to, owing to complications in maintenance and potential warranty issues.
Olympian backing Swytch is not the only one offering this aftermarket conversion - for £1,000 consumers can now purchase the Sir Chris Hoy backed Skarper, which also promises to transform any bike into an e-bike. This kit is incredibly simple as it just clips onto any bike, giving the rider electrical watts at their disposal. Sir Chris Hoy, who has been involved in the development of the product from the beginning said: “I’ve always been an advocate of getting more people on bikes, regardless of their fitness, ability or age, and I’ve discovered that e-bikes can play a huge role in making cycling more accessible to anyone.” So then, it seems this is something more than just a pet project for Sir Chris but something which we all share a passion for, getting more people on bikes. Dr Alastair Darwood, the brains behind Skarper, said: “The
Skarper system is fully enclosed and wire-free, seamlessly integrating into your bicycle via its DiskDrive technology. It is an ultralight, clip-on motor technology, transforming any bike into an e-bike with no modification required to the frame or wheels, and without compromise on performance. We are also very excited to be working with Red Bull
Olympian Sir Chris Hoy is backing e-bike conversion company Skarper
Advanced Technologies on an off-road version, news of which will be released later this year.” While Skarper’s claims that it transforms any bike
into an e-bike look good, they only mean that they will transform any disc brake bike into an e-bike as it’s the motor that drives the disc brake to make up the assisted power. And with prices starting from £1,000, the jump to a conventional e-bike is not huge. For both manufacturers and bike shops, they’re head-
scratchers. If they were sold in bike shops as well as direct from manufacturers they could be a great string to the salesperson’s bow as a stepping stone to a fully-fledged e-bike. As more manufacturers sell more disc brake bikes, it
makes a lot of sense, but will it also stop a consumer from purchasing an e-bike? Sir Chris said: “It opens up opportunities - whether it’s making a commute possible which would otherwise have been too difficult, keeping pace with a fitter friend for a challenging bike ride, returning to riding after an injury or illness, or just going further on your rides and seeing more for the same effort. E-bikes offer something for us all; I even take my kids to and from school on an e-cargo bike which they absolutely love!” Both products are scheduled to be released in 2023, but
whether they will disrupt and shake up the market as much as promised is yet to be seen. ●
www.bikebiz.com September 2022 | 41
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