I liked the swift brief clear execution of information, lovely to be in the open air with a good geographical route for the demo. Friendly man, I would watch him again and will look out for one of his ebike books. All the best, Mark
I know everyone is asking about my new electric truck I bought a few videos back... It has arrived and will make its youtube debut in the next week or so!
nice! i love your hilarious truck video from before , with the facetime factory 'visit' and the dead battery and all. look forward to hearing your impressions of this thing in the flesh . what country u ship it to and is it street legal there as an automobile ?
Just a couple of points not covered. Rubbee does have an app that allows you to select the power modes directly from your phone as you ride via blue tooth. It also shows speed and distance. The app also allows you to download firmware updates. Secondly, the little bit of effort in disengaging the unit is because of the pressure of the gas cylinder as you say, but it's needed for the unit to maintain pressure on the wheel. I bought one recently and it's a great piece of kit. It works well and you don't have wires everywhere.
Wow that's so neat! I feel like these should be more popular, a lot of people have old bikes lying around, and this is really all most people need in terms of assist IMO.
Agreed! Btw, if you're riding you should wear an nta helmet like xnito or bern hudson, I see a lot of people wearing cpsc helmets, those don't really protect you
@@Cesar-cm4if nothing will protect you from getting bit crossing the road by a car/commercial vehicle going roughly 50mph or more depending what intersection you are crossing. Yes helmet’s do help but from hard falls to the head and nothing more. You het hit, fall off a cliff mtn biking, or even worse land on your head the wrong way when falling on your head and breaking your neck. I’m not being rude I’m just being honest and debating lol. I will always wear a helmet but to protect my skull not my body
They really should I’m in the exact situation right now I live around a lot of small hills and it would be so nice to have a little electric or gas motor to lean back on and it’s also WAY cheaper than owning a car
Reminds me of the Sinclair friction assist in the 80's! I like the idea you could throw in on various bikes, I like the idea for my partner's bike and take it off and put on the tandem when we use that 🙂
Exactly ! We also offer Second Bike Kit. So You can install the lock and sensor on two separate bikes and switch one Rubbee X from bike to bike whenever needed :)
Thanks for this review. I've been intrigued by the Rubbee for ages since it seems like they've solved a lot of the problems with older friction-drive options. They seem to be in a good price position to compete with other 'all in one' (battery, motor, controller) options like GeoOrbital, Swytch, or Hilltopper. What are your thoughts on their (as far as I know) unique setup of using multiple batteries to increase not only capacity but to also increase/unlock higher wattage?
I wanted one of these but had a hard time actually getting one. Instead, I bought a RideKick in great shape for $500. It came with two extra batteries that will let this push you on electric only for twenty miles! 500 watt motor has lots of power!
My friend sent this link to me and I am impressed with the product and how it is presented!!! Looks like a great easy add on to an existing ride!! Thanks!
This kit is perfect for traveling where you want to an ebike but don't want to travel with yours. Like renting a regular bike in Hawaii and slapping this on it.
The simplicity of the friction drives is what makes it nice . Biking is meant to be a physical event, but with the assist, it allows for longer rides and for hilly terrain. I see all the videos on ebikes, looks like all flat land I live in area were you dont have more than a mile flat in any direction you choose to go. So the simple assist will allow for ease of riding and longer ones.
Biking is transport, I live in a small city without a car and have my kid in the back and groceries in the front. If I can afford this kit it would be a life changer.
@@monkeytonker4637 yh but it would suck where I live in Thanet because the terrain is not flat due to the coast so it's just up and down, I'll just have to consider going with hub or direct drive still
Rubbee X is pretty robust to wet conditions. It can handle wet roads, the electronics inside are fully potted. But if we're talking few inches of water on the road - it's better to lock Rubbee in the "lifted up" position just to be sure nothing bad happens.
Cool that the installation is so simple! No need brake cable sensors, or any wiring to a controller or display. The only thing you don't want to do with this is ride through a wet cow pie.
Too many other conversion kit companies have missed the boat by building them with overly complex mechanisms. This one impressed me for it's simplicity.
I totally agree . Take a look at this, my diy using same idea. As is have done 11 kilometres without peddling. Still work in progress. ruclips.net/video/u6Tbwu50QkM/видео.html
@@truthandreason8394 You do get some extra wear can't get away from it. Years ago I did same thing with a 2 stroke weed trimmer and metal roller . The wear was bad and so was the oily mess. This time I've used an electric skateboard motor with urethane tyre as the driver and so far roller and bike tyre still good after few weeks riding. The 2 stroke I could ruin in couple of days.
So I started following you because I got into bike riding as a way to lose weight. I am now 150 lb down and I'm considering getting some sort of e-bike conversion kit so that I can turn my way of exercise into more of an entertainment. Something like this would be great because I could disengage it most of the time. I have found that sometimes my brain is stronger than my legs, and I end up 50 miles from my car with possibly not enough endurance to get all the way back. It would be awesome to be able to engage this when my muscles decide I should have taken a shorter ride
The pack comes with one battery at €579, extra batteries are €99 each. €777 all in. 1 battery: Top Speed 25kph Weight 2.8kg Distance 16km Power 250w 3 batteries: 32kph 4kg (?) 48km 350w (Edit: oh, and the batteries are good for 1,000 cycles. Also, seems to me this info could've been added to the video pretty easily, or included in the description, I mean it Is a review.)
@@Crashed131963 Ps. A friend of mine bikes more than 60km a day because he doesn't use a car to work, but he is a special case. Most of us need engines.
Wow, that's amazing, thanks for checking it out. I have been waiting for a simple system, without all that mechanical mucking around,. This one looks great, I'm going to Google it right now.
Thanks for the video! I will be getting one for my bike, I think it is a great design and so easy to fit and how portable it is. Cheers from Melbourne Australia!
When I was a kid I got a friction drive gas powered Sears motor . That thing was great . Still have it . My enginerd husband rebuild the thug and put it on my three wheeler. The thing can hit 30 mph with ease 🤓. We just ordered the one you reviewed for his Trek Domane road bike. Us over 50 people need all the assist we can get 😎
Looks like something I like but hope when I go research, the price will not be overboard. The release mechanism you complained about is a spring load, if that was too soft then the friction won’t work. My question is Di you show battery being recharged while riding, and how does it free role, did you spin the wheel in the air , something. I would have demo’s in a standstill, other than that great job Hey Rubee X review me
I live in a hilled area and would love for you to do a test ride uphill to see how it responds. Everything is easy on flat ground...but I sometimes need a boost going upwards. I would actually get something like that if it can prove itself in that scenario.
At $670 for a simple add-on. I think it is worth the price. $200 more get the two extra batteries. Not everyone needs to travel 28+MPH or 60 miles. These gives hope to old bikes that your used to.
Rubbee X adds additional wear to the tire but nothing that should be worried about. We cast the rollers from a specially developed polyurethane compound mix which guarantees the best contact between the tire and the roller. We test roller materials for thousands of kilometers on the same tire without drastic wear&tear. In any case it is generally recommended to change bicycle tires every 2000-3000 km so we recommend to follow this rule.
That’s the first friction kit I’ve seen. I’m definitely interested in a wheel motor DIY project. I’m just starting to dig into your videos. Happy I found your channel - thanks !
That is a smart kit- but questions! Do you always have to pedal? And how fast were you going? Seems like with that brake thing you could get some mileage😀
Not sure if this was mentioned in another post, but from the website, the base price is 579 euros, plus 99 euros per extra battery. In the video, the three battery version would run 777 euros. This may need to be weighed against just purchasing a new e-bike and selling your old manual one, or keeping your old bike as a backup.
It's too expensive, unfortunately. The only reasonable use case I can see is somebody needing to remove the entire unit from their bike when locking it up or someone who has an exotic, expensive or unique bike they want to convert to electric without changing the wheels or modifying their bike. I wish it were the kickstarter backer price, that is just on the high end of making it cost effective to convert a trad bike without modification. Oh a third use case is taking it stealth on subways where they ban eBikes but allow trad bikes.
@@iStrong113 I think it would be disingenuous to suggest that the total cost of the Ruby kit is 579 euros. At bare minimum, you would need a decent bike to start with, so add that cost right up front. Depending on your definition of decent, that cost can get close to $1000 euros. Even if you only consider decent to be in the 500-600 range, that means you've spent at least 2/3 of the cost of a "decent" purpose built ebike, and that is a much different question than whether or not you can buy a purpose built ebike for less than 579 euros.
@@iStrong113 Take a look at the Fiido d4s. It was my intro to the world of e-bikes (bought it last year) and I just love it! Brought it out of storage last night (charged battery, pumped up tires, oiled chain, etc.) and it (still) runs great. Super happy with it!
So I looked it up, it’s from Lithuania 579 LTL comes to $610 US! While it’s nice to have a kit that is as simple to bolt on as it is, it’s very limited in power and distance. I think I would just stick to a dedicated Ebike. Now if it were $300 it would be doable!
Also the Berini it had an egg shaped engine also mounted on the front. They were faster then the Solex. Saw as little kid in the fifties in the Netherlands.
@@hesseldijkstra5327 That brings back some memories, I grew up in a suburb of Athens Greece and had a Solex when I was 15 years old, what fun it was back in 1975!
I love the idea of swapping this between bikes, it makes it very handy. Although, I don't like the fact you can't use it with road style mudguards. My commuting bike has mudguards on all year round.
Excellent review... the only problem is the cost. If my conversion is correct, it's $720+, seems a little pricey for a friction kit. But what is the range?
The first problem I see is that you can't have a rear mudguard, so no good for wet weather and muddy conditions. But otherwise it looks like a good simple option for a quick conversion of a bike for dry weather use
Just recently discovered your channel. My wife and I have some 50cc scooters we really enjoy, but I've begun to be interested in electric bikes because of the potential of riding trails that scooters wouldn't be allowed on. These trails are for non-motorized vehicles, but I believe it wouldn't be likely that we would be stopped on an e-bike. My wife has knee problems that make it difficult for her to exert a lot of force when biking up hills. The assist could make the difference. I hope to find her one that is capable and reasonably priced. Thanks for the informative videos. Do you know the Price of the Rubbee X? Are there other friction style electric assist units that you've tried and work well?
Do you have any plans to test this in different weather conditions? The FAQ on their website lists the following as one of their methods that keeps the roller from slipping on the tire: 'Special roller. Both material, shape and surface texture of the roller is optimized for increasing grip in all weather conditions.' REALLY curious if this holds true.
Yep it does, it works fine in the wet. The gas charged cylinder allows it to maintain constant pressure on the tyre and stops any bouncing and traction loss.
I would be interested to see how long the contact rollers last with grit, dirt and other road debris spun up by the tyre. Also how much the friction drive takes out of that back tyre as well.
Exacllty , if you go offroad at all its going to be trashed. If you go out in the wet it aint going to have the friction. I dont intend either, I just want to be able to get out for 1/2 miles in the dry . Want to send me one rubbee?? hehe
@@davidmg1925 it's clearly not.intended for use in those situations so why would anyone buy it thinking it would be ok for that? Just look at the unit, it's so obviously aimed at city commuting or longer journeys on well paved paths and nothing more than that but for those purposes I imagine it will perform very well at it's job.
That’s an awesome conversion! I’ve been looking at e-bikes for a while . I just haven’t been able to afford one because they are rather costly. I hope to possibly do an upgrade in a couple months. Thank you for sharing the info.
@@prizmbreaker The prices on everything bike related have gotten ridiculous in the last 2 years, and many tires, batteries, derailleurs etc aren't even available now...
@@prizmbreaker I think you are right. Too many get-rich-quick merchants cashing in. The main 'rip off' is when the battery wears out and you have to buy a buy one... gave up on e bikes some time ago ...
@HahThatsWhatSheSaid That is best, but many don't have the tools, DIY skills, facilities or confidence to attempt that. One wrong connection or mistake and you could have a nasty little explision.. One dealer ripped me off very badly by charging ne £35 + VAT just to tell me what I more or less already knew i.e. 'your battery is kaput...' He could have, but refused to make me up a new battery, but instead he just wanted ne to spend £1k on a new e-bike. I personally felt that thd bloke I dealt with was 'on the fiddle'. And this was a chain of shops which were supposed to be 'excellent' 'run by enthusiasts for enthusiasts'... I won't name the shop as it may have been a case of 'rogue employee', but many would probably be surprised if I did reveal the name!
oh my God I am so glad I asked you tube a question about changing my bike to eBay what a beautiful wonderful surprise .thank you thank you thank you. ask for the weather here in St Louis Missouri we are under a heat advisory...
One problem with the Rubbee motor , we in the UK use Mud Guards as its a bit rainy here than in Florida , I suppose you could cut a section out of the plastic for the drive to enguage onto the tyre. Cheers from Philip Cooper in Evesham UK.
ALMOST a great idea - but "install and remove with no tools?" Unless you take it with you EVERY time you leave it, it's gonna be gone when you come back.
rear hub drive are great with just a throttle . i have 2 1000 watt 48 volt e bikes both tear hub drive they do around 25 mph and run for about 2 hours off road before the battery runs flat ..
Impressive! Seriously. You make the installation look so easy. Althoughhhhh, I'll be 73 years young this December, and have never been mechanically inclined. My being oldish, a Air Force Veteran of the Vietnam Era, and resident of West Virginia near Parkersburg, and rather ugly has little to do with it all. Yet it could explain a lot of it, perhaps. Lol! Oh yeah, and I'm a southpaw, and all my tools seem to favor right handed people. But I still enjoy riding my bikes here in the hills near the Ohio River. If electric powered bikes increase in popularity, I'd like to hope that more of us Seniors would get back on bicycles. A couple of things here: ehat is the cost of the unit, and I like to ride with a carrying rack over the rear tire. Would that create any issues? Thank you, and have a marvelous day. Just please be safe and careful, okay? The weather here is cool. In the 50s, and we're supposed to be getting rained on over the next few days. We have village idiots galore in the statehouse in Charleston, but the weather and cost of living ain't too shabby. It really is quite nice here. Have fun, everyone!
I am a 77 year senior and this is exactly what I want. Carefully read the instructions and easily install. One of the most simple I have seen thus far. My favorite is the ability to carry upstairs (maybe 2 trips) easily compared to most ebikes on the market today. Plus many of seniors who travels can the kit with them (checking with airlines first). Thank you very much.
Wow, this setup is around $900. For the motor unit and batteries. Plus shipping if they charge for that, plus a bicycle. My last four used cars each cost me less than that.
Stop buying shitboxes then. You can buy a car for next to nothing these days, especially without valid MOT, no point comparing against something new, with warranty.
@@owen4326 The a new car payment is what, $400-$600? The gray Kia s*** box I put about 50,000 miles on. I sold the corpse for $600. The blue s*** box before that, I put about 80,000 miles on. Got $300 from the junkyard on that one. The red S10 s*** box before that don't remember miles, but I had it over a year, and got about $300 for that corpse. The silver Kia before that one, same general idea, although I did have to spend about $300 for a gas tank, and a couple hundred dollars for radiator on that one. Timing went out shredded the engine after two or three years And I got a few hundred dollars for that corpse too. The green one before that was junk. After a while, no front suspension. But I got a few months out of it, and again I sold the corpse. Yeah I didn't have any warranties. They kept me warm and dry. Not sure what an MOT is. They were titled, plated, registration stickered, and I carried more than minimum liability insurance to legally operate each of them.
@@othername1000 if you really were able to make all those junkyard cars run for that cheap and that long then clearly you are mechanically inclined. This kit is made for people who are not like you. This is made to be as easy and simple as possible for those people
Did I miss it or did you not detail any specs or price on this unit? how many watt motor, how many Wh's are the batteries, expected range (window) on a full charge. Do the spare 2 batteries you installed come standard or optional at what price?
Even with some serious DIY abilities, undertaking any sort of conversion from pedal only to assist is not a cheap or easy task. This solution is actually quite practical.
@@jamesyahoo4758 I'll agree to disagree, for the price I can build a front hub kit with a larger battery for more range very easily (it's the project I'm working on now).
Nice review and I have some questions. Can you easily take it off to recharge? Do you need to remove the battery modules? How does it charge? Was a charging cable included? Is it 220v only (from UK) or 110/220? What is the cost?
Go check out the Rubbee website....But no you don't need to remove the batteries, you plug in the charge like you do on your phone. The charging unit will be country compatible.
Just found your channel. I’ve been considering e-bikes for my wife and I. We’re getting older, but would still like to ride with a bit less effort. Oh, and for what it’s worth… the weather is cool and sunny here in Missouri today.
Another thing affecting the location/clearance is the angle of the seat post. I notice your bike is canted at more of an angle from upright than my bike which would mean I could mount it lower on the seat post and still get more clearance than you managed, a good thing because I'm one of those shorter riders you mentioned...
Thankyou, I was wondering about that. I don't think he mentioned battery capacity, or an estimated range, either. I know it varies, but it's usually mentioned. There's probably more informative reviews to be found. But as far as simple goes, I kinda like it, maybe, at a little less cost.
Less than underwhelming! My rubbee motor started running uncontrolled on my 3rd time out. No way to stop it with the power button! Before you buy (or rather not), watch: @ . Also, the range is way shorter than they claim.
Cool attachment. I wished you would have mentioned some specs to entice people to buy or acquire it. Thumbs up from Philippines ! Hopefully I get a book from you. Godspeed bro.
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
IKEA need to produce an ebike kit, use just one 5mm hex to assemble the whole thing, and call it the e-BJÖRkFAHRT... or something.
IKEABIKE
@@ianmangham4570 Oh, so close...
BIKEA.
@@bob-ny6kn 🤡
Hahaha who knows they already selling solar panels
Bjork fart?!!🤣
I liked the swift brief clear execution of information, lovely to be in the open air with a good geographical route for the demo. Friendly man, I would watch him again and will look out for one of his ebike books. All the best, Mark
I know everyone is asking about my new electric truck I bought a few videos back... It has arrived and will make its youtube debut in the next week or so!
No USA shipping???
nice! i love your hilarious truck video from before , with the facetime factory 'visit' and the dead battery and all. look forward to hearing your impressions of this thing in the flesh . what country u ship it to and is it street legal there as an automobile ?
Just a couple of points not covered. Rubbee does have an app that allows you to select the power modes directly from your phone as you ride via blue tooth. It also shows speed and distance. The app also allows you to download firmware updates. Secondly, the little bit of effort in disengaging the unit is because of the pressure of the gas cylinder as you say, but it's needed for the unit to maintain pressure on the wheel. I bought one recently and it's a great piece of kit. It works well and you don't have wires everywhere.
Where can I get this to buy in the US
Wow that's so neat! I feel like these should be more popular, a lot of people have old bikes lying around, and this is really all most people need in terms of assist IMO.
Agreed! Btw, if you're riding you should wear an nta helmet like xnito or bern hudson, I see a lot of people wearing cpsc helmets, those don't really protect you
@@Cesar-cm4if nothing will protect you from getting bit crossing the road by a car/commercial vehicle going roughly 50mph or more depending what intersection you are crossing. Yes helmet’s do help but from hard falls to the head and nothing more. You het hit, fall off a cliff mtn biking, or even worse land on your head the wrong way when falling on your head and breaking your neck. I’m not being rude I’m just being honest and debating lol. I will always wear a helmet but to protect my skull not my body
They really should I’m in the exact situation right now I live around a lot of small hills and it would be so nice to have a little electric or gas motor to lean back on and it’s also WAY cheaper than owning a car
That’s why I’m here I’m doing my homework before buying
@@krisedward8447 a good helmet and an airbag vest can save your life and prevent some nasty injuries if used in unison
Impressive for a friction based system. The amount of force to disengage is a good thing in my book, it should help limit slip and wear.
Agreed!
@@jlucasound maybe you can try our products😁😁
That's pretty well!@@hoolydooly5072
Reminds me of the Sinclair friction assist in the 80's!
I like the idea you could throw in on various bikes, I like the idea for my partner's bike and take it off and put on the tandem when we use that 🙂
Exactly ! We also offer Second Bike Kit. So You can install the lock and sensor on two separate bikes and switch one Rubbee X from bike to bike whenever needed :)
Thanks for this review. I've been intrigued by the Rubbee for ages since it seems like they've solved a lot of the problems with older friction-drive options. They seem to be in a good price position to compete with other 'all in one' (battery, motor, controller) options like GeoOrbital, Swytch, or Hilltopper.
What are your thoughts on their (as far as I know) unique setup of using multiple batteries to increase not only capacity but to also increase/unlock higher wattage?
How much does it cost as far as 2022?
@@MigzMigz35 €777.00/815.39USD to get a unit and two extra battery units, to unlock the higher power.
Where can I get this to buy in the US
I wanted one of these but had a hard time actually getting one. Instead, I bought a RideKick in great shape for $500. It came with two extra batteries that will let this push you on electric only for twenty miles! 500 watt motor has lots of power!
My friend sent this link to me and I am impressed with the product and how it is presented!!! Looks like a great easy add on to an existing ride!! Thanks!
This kit is perfect for traveling where you want to an ebike but don't want to travel with yours. Like renting a regular bike in Hawaii and slapping this on it.
I would suggest checking your airline's battery policy first.
@@AdamsHadEnough That might be why the batteries are split into 3
@@tonylarose4842 That's a great observation, our batteries are split into modules under 100Wh capacity limit for easy transport !
Reyes - where you want to an ebike???
Or to take it off once you get to a skatepark. I'd like to see it on a 20" before I buy.
The simplicity of the friction drives is what makes it nice . Biking is meant to be a physical event, but with the assist, it allows for longer rides and for hilly terrain. I see all the videos on ebikes, looks like all flat land I live in area were you dont have more than a mile flat in any direction you choose to go. So the simple assist will allow for ease of riding and longer ones.
My brother needs it because he doesn't have a car and he's not able to bike long distances
Biking is made to be what ever you want it to be.
Quanto costa il prodotto con spedizione
Biking is transport, I live in a small city without a car and have my kid in the back and groceries in the front. If I can afford this kit it would be a life changer.
Interesting, I've always seen friction drives as homemade builds. I didn't know any were available as kits.
there are weed eater motor kits.
Staton in OKC has the best friction kit.
Love the simplicity and the features it has.
how does it fair in wet conditions? Do you think terrain would be an issue and do you know if replacement parts available?
Used a friction roller system on a bmx. Twas fun but living in the UK soon found out it was no good in the rain.
I wouldn’t ride in the uk without mudguards, unless I wanted to arrive with a wet/muddy butt.
@@monkeytonker4637 yh but it would suck where I live in Thanet because the terrain is not flat due to the coast so it's just up and down, I'll just have to consider going with hub or direct drive still
Rubbee X is pretty robust to wet conditions. It can handle wet roads, the electronics inside are fully potted. But if we're talking few inches of water on the road - it's better to lock Rubbee in the "lifted up" position just to be sure nothing bad happens.
MASTERZANUFF - fare
Cool that the installation is so simple! No need brake cable sensors, or any wiring to a controller or display. The only thing you don't want to do with this is ride through a wet cow pie.
Cow pie?
@@hasan_z poop
@@hasan_z Cattle Mousse, you know. 😉
This is such a cool and simple concept. So much growth potential here it’s incredible.
But he didn’t explain the battery mileage on a full charge or why it only comes with one battery?
Too many other conversion kit companies have missed the boat by building them with overly complex mechanisms. This one impressed me for it's simplicity.
I totally agree . Take a look at this, my diy using same idea. As is have done 11 kilometres without peddling. Still work in progress.
ruclips.net/video/u6Tbwu50QkM/видео.html
simple but what happens to tyres?
@@truthandreason8394
You do get some extra wear can't get away from it. Years ago I did same thing with a 2 stroke weed trimmer and metal roller . The wear was bad and so was the oily mess.
This time I've used an electric skateboard motor with urethane tyre as the driver and so far roller and bike tyre still good after few weeks riding. The 2 stroke I could ruin in couple of days.
@@truthandreason8394 Time will tell.
For the cost of this and the little assist amount you get, you'd be running to those "overly complicated" options afterwards.
So I started following you because I got into bike riding as a way to lose weight. I am now 150 lb down and I'm considering getting some sort of e-bike conversion kit so that I can turn my way of exercise into more of an entertainment. Something like this would be great because I could disengage it most of the time. I have found that sometimes my brain is stronger than my legs, and I end up 50 miles from my car with possibly not enough endurance to get all the way back. It would be awesome to be able to engage this when my muscles decide I should have taken a shorter ride
Very cool. Interested to hear what sort of watt hours per mile it gets and how that compares to say a mid drive giving a similar amount of boost.
Hi Matt, it's roughly 10Wh/mile. With one 93Wh module You can get ~10miles of range. It's a pedal assist system so the efficiency is pretty good :)
ya but that is probably on a straight road with no inclines
That is a great little kit. I've never seen anything like that before.
I'm glad I seen this kit, good video...
Its not a kit for everyone but its good to have options. Good video!
Thank you for brining me closer to understanding how the e bikes work. Dry exciting.
The pack comes with one battery at €579, extra batteries are €99 each. €777 all in.
1 battery:
Top Speed 25kph
Weight 2.8kg
Distance 16km
Power 250w
3 batteries:
32kph
4kg (?)
48km
350w
(Edit: oh, and the batteries are good for 1,000 cycles.
Also, seems to me this info could've been added to the video pretty easily, or included in the description, I mean it Is a review.)
With only 16km range one needs a good battery supply. They should have 'em the cheaper the bigger one-time purchase.
I get a 404 on their website, guess they didnt last long with a $800 kit using 1980s tech?
@@haliaeetus8221 Who bikes farther than 16 km?
@@Crashed1319631. A person going from one end of town to the other and back.
2. A person not living in town.
1. Me. 2. Me
😉😄
@@Crashed131963 Ps. A friend of mine bikes more than 60km a day because he doesn't use a car to work, but he is a special case. Most of us need engines.
Wow, that's amazing, thanks for checking it out. I have been waiting for a simple system, without all that mechanical mucking around,. This one looks great, I'm going to Google it right now.
Thanks for the video!
I will be getting one for my bike, I think it is a great design and so easy to fit and how portable it is.
Cheers from Melbourne Australia!
Please keep us updated
Excellent invention i salute the inventor of this elect. Bike kit
When I was a kid I got a friction drive gas powered Sears motor . That thing was great . Still have it . My enginerd husband rebuild the thug and put it on my three wheeler. The thing can hit 30 mph with ease 🤓. We just ordered the one you reviewed for his Trek Domane road bike. Us over 50 people need all the assist we can get 😎
Funny thing is, you actually get pretty much the same health effect, even though you don't feel you do much work!
Looks like something I like but hope when I go research, the price will not be overboard. The release mechanism you complained about is a spring load, if that was too soft then the friction won’t work. My question is Di you show battery being recharged while riding, and how does it free role, did you spin the wheel in the air , something. I would have demo’s in a standstill, other than that great job Hey Rubee X review me
I live in a hilled area and would love for you to do a test ride uphill to see how it responds. Everything is easy on flat ground...but I sometimes need a boost going upwards. I would actually get something like that if it can prove itself in that scenario.
Same here. I am in the Birmingham Alabama area and the steep hills are what keeps me from riding more, especially in hot weather.
Really nice piece of kit for the bicyle
3:18 I imagined that thing rolling off on its own when you hit the power 🤣
Nice presentation. You showed The Good The Bad and The Ugly and I was impressed thank you
At $670 for a simple add-on. I think it is worth the price. $200 more get the two extra batteries. Not everyone needs to travel 28+MPH or 60 miles. These gives hope to old bikes that your used to.
Just a simple but awesome idea. Thanks for the review
This is fantastic!
any thoughts about wearing the tire? is this an issue at all?
Rubbee X adds additional wear to the tire but nothing that should be worried about. We cast the rollers from a specially developed polyurethane compound mix which guarantees the best contact between the tire and the roller. We test roller materials for thousands of kilometers on the same tire without drastic wear&tear. In any case it is generally recommended to change bicycle tires every 2000-3000 km so we recommend to follow this rule.
@@RubbeeDrive thank you for the reply! I am really considering purchasing this for my wife. It looks fantastic!
@@estossala1 Thank You Esteban, feel free to contact us anytime if You'll have any questions :)
That was pretty cool
That’s the first friction kit I’ve seen. I’m definitely interested in a wheel motor DIY project. I’m just starting to dig into your videos. Happy I found your channel - thanks !
Very nice easy to build. Thank you for sharing. From Philippines
What speed did u find it easy to reach - and hold (say for 5kms / 3m on the flat)?
And what range with the 3-pack of batteries?
Tx for great channel
Range for 3 batteries is 30 miles
so easy to install that's exactly what I am looking for. Great detailing explanation, Thank you
That is a smart kit- but questions! Do you always have to pedal? And how fast were you going? Seems like with that brake thing you could get some mileage😀
A little more faster then walking
@@raynellwelch2792 It will do 24 kph. How fast do you walk?
Awesome bike kit, thanks for the review because like many we did not want to buy a whole bike.
Thanks for the video! The price on these kits still seems pretty high when combined with the price if the bike.
My thoughts exactly
Really cool piece of kit
So, do you think it's a cost-effective option? It seems pricey enough that it might be a better choice to spring for a purpose built ebike?
Not sure if this was mentioned in another post, but from the website, the base price is 579 euros, plus 99 euros per extra battery. In the video, the three battery version would run 777 euros. This may need to be weighed against just purchasing a new e-bike and selling your old manual one, or keeping your old bike as a backup.
It's too expensive, unfortunately. The only reasonable use case I can see is somebody needing to remove the entire unit from their bike when locking it up or someone who has an exotic, expensive or unique bike they want to convert to electric without changing the wheels or modifying their bike.
I wish it were the kickstarter backer price, that is just on the high end of making it cost effective to convert a trad bike without modification.
Oh a third use case is taking it stealth on subways where they ban eBikes but allow trad bikes.
@@iStrong113 I think it would be disingenuous to suggest that the total cost of the Ruby kit is 579 euros. At bare minimum, you would need a decent bike to start with, so add that cost right up front. Depending on your definition of decent, that cost can get close to $1000 euros. Even if you only consider decent to be in the 500-600 range, that means you've spent at least 2/3 of the cost of a "decent" purpose built ebike, and that is a much different question than whether or not you can buy a purpose built ebike for less than 579 euros.
A Ride1Up roadster at $1000 US looks so much more compelling than this IMO.
@@iStrong113 Take a look at the Fiido d4s. It was my intro to the world of e-bikes (bought it last year) and I just love it! Brought it out of storage last night (charged battery, pumped up tires, oiled chain, etc.) and it (still) runs great. Super happy with it!
So I looked it up, it’s from Lithuania 579 LTL comes to $610 US! While it’s nice to have a kit that is as simple to bolt on as it is, it’s very limited in power and distance. I think I would just stick to a dedicated Ebike. Now if it were $300 it would be doable!
I remember the Solex front wheel mounted petrol powered friction drive. I wonder what the tire wear is like with the Rubbee.
Also the Berini it had an egg shaped engine also mounted on the front. They were faster then the Solex. Saw as little kid in the fifties in the Netherlands.
@@hesseldijkstra5327 That brings back some memories, I grew up in a suburb of Athens Greece and had a Solex when I was 15 years old, what fun it was back in 1975!
I like your reviews! Wish I had seen this a week ago but might use a Rubee XX on my husband's bike. Love it
I'm guessing the name might be Rub-E, because it rubs the tire?
Exactly, Rubbee rubs a rubber tire :)
That's what I was thinking. He kept calling it 'ruby'
Interesting way of doing it. But at $715 us dollar i would just pay 950 and get the lectric bike on sale now.
Do you have to keep peddling for sppeed or can you stop and let the motor take over??
That thing is pretty sweet minus the price tag!
It’s another choice that opens assisted peddle power to more and more people.
Nothing to hate here, a good idea worth looking at.
I love the idea of swapping this between bikes, it makes it very handy. Although, I don't like the fact you can't use it with road style mudguards. My commuting bike has mudguards on all year round.
You could just make a notch in the mudflap.
Good point.
Looks good. Notice your test run was on flat ground. What is like on inclines? Thanks for the demonstration
Seems to work well on the flat, but I’d be curious to know what it’s like on a climb?
Excellent review... the only problem is the cost. If my conversion is correct, it's $720+, seems a little pricey for a friction kit. But what is the range?
30 miles w/ 3 battery packs
The first problem I see is that you can't have a rear mudguard, so no good for wet weather and muddy conditions. But otherwise it looks like a good simple option for a quick conversion of a bike for dry weather use
Maybe you can ..just cut it a bit shorter
Someone pointed out you could cut a hole in the mudguard
I subscribed after I watched the electric Chinese truck video. And now this one great videos thanks for sharing them. Austin, Texas.
You should do a review of this product after 6 months or a year. I’m curious if it wears out the rear tyre.
I had an old school ICE friction drive on a bike a few decades ago.
There will be tyre wear, not hugely so but definitely noticeable.
Thanks for putting this on my radar! I love this!
Just recently discovered your channel. My wife and I have some 50cc scooters we really enjoy, but I've begun to be interested in electric bikes because of the potential of riding trails that scooters wouldn't be allowed on. These trails are for non-motorized vehicles, but I believe it wouldn't be likely that we would be stopped on an e-bike. My wife has knee problems that make it difficult for her to exert a lot of force when biking up hills. The assist could make the difference. I hope to find her one that is capable and reasonably priced. Thanks for the informative videos. Do you know the Price of the Rubbee X? Are there other friction style electric assist units that you've tried and work well?
This kit sucks
@@alexandercspmx7322 Thank you for the comprehensive and detailed review.
@@alexandercspmx7322 why. I just bought it should I return it?
I always like the vids where you whip out the knife!
Friction drives looks promising for their ease of putting on and off and simplicity; however, prices are too close to hub drives.
This unit is a lot more convenient than a hub drive imo.
I love it very much. Hello from Morocco 🇲🇦 💪🏼
Quick, easy and cool. That said, I'd like to see them invent something that can connect to the chain that is portable.
The weather is beautiful today! Great vid btw! Love hearing about the regenerative braking. Thanks!
Do you have any plans to test this in different weather conditions? The FAQ on their website lists the following as one of their methods that keeps the roller from slipping on the tire:
'Special roller. Both material, shape and surface texture of the roller is optimized for increasing grip in all weather conditions.'
REALLY curious if this holds true.
Yep it does, it works fine in the wet. The gas charged cylinder allows it to maintain constant pressure on the tyre and stops any bouncing and traction loss.
@@bagster8660 Thank you!
Great review !! enjoyed the details electric bicycle kit. Keep up the good work
I would be interested to see how long the contact rollers last with grit, dirt and other road debris spun up by the tyre. Also how much the friction drive takes out of that back tyre as well.
Or older rubber, or/and wet, making it slippery.
Not the best option hopefully its cheap lol
Exacllty , if you go offroad at all its going to be trashed.
If you go out in the wet it aint going to have the friction.
I dont intend either, I just want to be able to get out for 1/2 miles in the dry . Want to send me one rubbee?? hehe
@@davidmg1925 it's clearly not.intended for use in those situations so why would anyone buy it thinking it would be ok for that? Just look at the unit, it's so obviously aimed at city commuting or longer journeys on well paved paths and nothing more than that but for those purposes I imagine it will perform very well at it's job.
That’s an awesome conversion! I’ve been looking at e-bikes for a while . I just haven’t been able to afford one because they are rather costly. I hope to possibly do an upgrade in a couple months. Thank you for sharing the info.
I think the price (€580 for the base model, with an extra €100 per
Ex
The price is completely insane. So many e-bike related things are so overpriced it almost seems like a scam.
@@prizmbreaker The prices on everything bike related have gotten ridiculous in the last 2 years, and many tires, batteries, derailleurs etc aren't even available now...
@@prizmbreaker I think you are right. Too many get-rich-quick merchants cashing in. The main 'rip off' is when the battery wears out and you have to buy a buy one... gave up on e bikes some time ago ...
@HahThatsWhatSheSaid That is best, but many don't have the tools, DIY skills, facilities or confidence to attempt that. One wrong connection or mistake and you could have a nasty little explision.. One dealer ripped me off very badly by charging ne £35 + VAT just to tell me what I more or less already knew i.e. 'your battery is kaput...' He could have, but refused to make me up a new battery, but instead he just wanted ne to spend £1k on a new e-bike. I personally felt that thd bloke I dealt with was 'on the fiddle'. And this was a chain of shops which were supposed to be 'excellent' 'run by enthusiasts for enthusiasts'... I won't name the shop as it may have been a case of 'rogue employee', but many would probably be surprised if I did reveal the name!
oh my God I am so glad I asked you tube a question about changing my bike to eBay what a beautiful wonderful surprise .thank you thank you thank you. ask for the weather here in St Louis Missouri we are under a heat advisory...
One problem with the Rubbee motor , we in the UK use Mud Guards as its a bit rainy here than in Florida , I suppose you could cut a section out of the plastic for the drive to enguage onto the tyre.
Cheers from Philip Cooper in Evesham UK.
I liked this bike a lot. Good for me riding around town and getting to work. Easy to assemble and good battery life.
Thank Micah! Might even be my interim solution while I save for the dream bike!
No... it won't be.
Very cool technology! Gorgeous scenery, where were you? Israel? U.S.?
This was in Tel Aviv, Israel. The riding footage was near the port of Tel Aviv, it's a beautiful area to ride!
This is pretty awesome... can anyone name another kit that can be entirely removed and taken inside within 10 seconds?
cool set up, I love your Helmet
ALMOST a great idea - but "install and remove with no tools?" Unless you take it with you EVERY time you leave it, it's gonna be gone when you come back.
yeah it should come with a padlock point so people cant steal it easily
the cameraman is running faster than the ebike 4:40
I was hoping you would show how it performs when the rider isn’t peddling unless I missed it. Thanks
rear hub drive are great with just a throttle . i have 2 1000 watt 48 volt e bikes both tear hub drive they do around 25 mph and run for about 2 hours off road before the battery runs flat ..
He said i needs "peddle assist to engage electric assist" and pedaling backwards engages regen breaking. It doesn't run while the is not pedaling.
He said it goes into free rolling mode once you stop pedaling, meaning it does nothing
I've been watching you for a while. Thanks man I might try that contraption. Cool video thanks
Impressive! Seriously. You make the installation look so easy. Althoughhhhh, I'll be 73 years young this December, and have never been mechanically inclined. My being oldish, a Air Force Veteran of the Vietnam Era, and resident of West Virginia near Parkersburg, and rather ugly has little to do with it all. Yet it could explain a lot of it, perhaps. Lol! Oh yeah, and I'm a southpaw, and all my tools seem to favor right handed people. But I still enjoy riding my bikes here in the hills near the Ohio River. If electric powered bikes increase in popularity, I'd like to hope that more of us Seniors would get back on bicycles.
A couple of things here: ehat is the cost of the unit, and I like to ride with a carrying rack over the rear tire. Would that create any issues? Thank you, and have a marvelous day. Just please be safe and careful, okay? The weather here is cool. In the 50s, and we're supposed to be getting rained on over the next few days. We have village idiots galore in the statehouse in Charleston, but the weather and cost of living ain't too shabby. It really is quite nice here. Have fun, everyone!
Thanks for your sacrifice and service Phil Smith
I am a 77 year senior and this is exactly what I want. Carefully read the instructions and easily install. One of the most simple I have seen thus far. My favorite is the ability to carry upstairs (maybe 2 trips) easily compared to most ebikes on the market today. Plus many of seniors who travels can the kit with them (checking with airlines first). Thank you very much.
Very nice. I'm looking into Swytch Bike too.
me too
Wow, this setup is around $900. For the motor unit and batteries. Plus shipping if they charge for that, plus a bicycle.
My last four used cars each cost me less than that.
Stop buying shitboxes then. You can buy a car for next to nothing these days, especially without valid MOT, no point comparing against something new, with warranty.
@@owen4326
The a new car payment is what, $400-$600?
The gray Kia s*** box I put about 50,000 miles on. I sold the corpse for $600.
The blue s*** box before that, I put about 80,000 miles on. Got $300 from the junkyard on that one.
The red S10 s*** box before that don't remember miles, but I had it over a year, and got about $300 for that corpse.
The silver Kia before that one, same general idea, although I did have to spend about $300 for a gas tank, and a couple hundred dollars for radiator on that one. Timing went out shredded the engine after two or three years And I got a few hundred dollars for that corpse too.
The green one before that was junk. After a while, no front suspension. But I got a few months out of it, and again I sold the corpse.
Yeah I didn't have any warranties.
They kept me warm and dry.
Not sure what an MOT is. They were titled, plated, registration stickered, and I carried more than minimum liability insurance to legally operate each of them.
@@othername1000 if you really were able to make all those junkyard cars run for that cheap and that long then clearly you are mechanically inclined. This kit is made for people who are not like you. This is made to be as easy and simple as possible for those people
Did I miss it or did you not detail any specs or price on this unit? how many watt motor, how many Wh's are the batteries, expected range (window) on a full charge. Do the spare 2 batteries you installed come standard or optional at what price?
Go to their website. It will answer all of your questions.
@@tomnesler2089 obviously but I'm giving feedback to suggest more technical details be included like Micah used to give.
Interesting idea, perfect for those with minimal DIY abilities. Personally I'd look at other options.
Even with some serious DIY abilities, undertaking any sort of conversion from pedal only to assist is not a cheap or easy task. This solution is actually quite practical.
@@jamesyahoo4758 I'll agree to disagree, for the price I can build a front hub kit with a larger battery for more range very easily (it's the project I'm working on now).
@@ebikeengineer can't knock rear hubs lol
@@ebikeengineer rear wheel drive is badass plus wheelies!
@@eazysmokes3743 I don't think you're doing wheelies on that thing. Now put a rear hub motor or mid drive and we can talk!
Very helpful for an old guy like me. Nice job!
Nice review and I have some questions. Can you easily take it off to recharge? Do you need to remove the battery modules? How does it charge? Was a charging cable included? Is it 220v only (from UK) or 110/220? What is the cost?
It comes with a charging cable, you can charge all the batteries together at once in the device
Go check out the Rubbee website....But no you don't need to remove the batteries, you plug in the charge like you do on your phone. The charging unit will be country compatible.
Just found your channel. I’ve been considering e-bikes for my wife and I. We’re getting older, but would still like to ride with a bit less effort. Oh, and for what it’s worth… the weather is cool and sunny here in Missouri today.
Very portable, good for local distance,easy to remove if you want to exercise. Not for everyone but at least another option 😊
Another thing affecting the location/clearance is the angle of the seat post. I notice your bike is canted at more of an angle from upright than my bike which would mean I could mount it lower on the seat post and still get more clearance than you managed, a good thing because I'm one of those shorter riders you mentioned...
Wow, that would serve great as a second drive motor for the eBike I already have.
No it wouldn't.
I like this idea. I intend to fully check this attachment. At my age (88)I can use some assistance.
Almost $700 USD.... ehhh
Thankyou, I was wondering about that.
I don't think he mentioned battery capacity, or an estimated range, either. I know it varies, but it's usually mentioned.
There's probably more informative reviews to be found. But as far as simple goes, I kinda like it, maybe, at a little less cost.
That's crazy
Pretty cool, wish the look could blend in better with the bike look. Where do you live looks beautiful!
Less than underwhelming! My rubbee motor started running uncontrolled on my 3rd time out. No way to stop it with the power button! Before you buy (or rather not), watch: @ . Also, the range is way shorter than they claim.
Your post is unhelpful.
Watch what?
Cool attachment. I wished you would have mentioned some specs to entice people to buy or acquire it. Thumbs up from Philippines ! Hopefully I get a book from you. Godspeed bro.