The last electric mountain bike I tested cost $8,000. That’s a lot of dough, and a lot of working parts to troubleshoot when things go sideways, as they eventually will with any bike. Alternatively, the Clip, which markets itself as the “first plug-and-play bike-upgrade device” starts at $500 and doesn’t even need a companion app.
Designed in Brooklyn with urban commuters as its target demographic, this simple, clamshell-shaped device clamps to the front wheel of a commuter bike, instantly electrifying the ride. Even before Clip began manufacturing the device in 2021, it earned a spot on Time magazine’s Best Inventions of 2020 list. The following year, it hit Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas List. With one billion bicycles in circulation worldwide, it’s easy to see why this simple, cost-effective solution has such immense appeal.
Plug and Play
Compatible with road, commuter, and hybrid models—any bike with 26- to 28-inch wheels and no front suspension—the Clip comes in two sizes. There’s the 8.8-pound Commuter, with a 96-watt-hour battery and 450-watt motor for a four- to six-mile range, and the 9.8-pound Explorer, with a 192-WH battery and 450-watt motor for a 10- to 12-mile range.
Photograph: Stephanie Pearson
They both work the same simple way, and you don’t need any tools. Just press a button at the top of the device, which opens the Clip’s clamshell. Align the Clip, like an open clam, over the front wheel of your bike, and it attaches to the fork blade via a rubberized groove. Two small red arms also extend out around the fork. When you lock it closed, the arms fit tightly around each fork blade. At the top of the wheel, a plastic roller is always in contact with the rubber tire.
Once the Clip is secure in its three positions, the bike is ready to roll and can be electrified whenever the rider chooses to engage via a friction drive. A friction drive differs from a traditional motor in that the front wheel’s power is activated by surface friction rather than the teeth of the cogs in a motor. (Because of this need for friction, it’s essential to keep the front tire inflated to 85 PSI at all times.)