As Max Verstappen’s partner, Red Bull knows a thing or two about racing. That’s why the company developed a handy gadget that lets you turn your regular bike into an electric bike.
The idea came not from Red Bull itself, but from an out-of-control lockdown project by Olympic champion, Sir Chris Hoy. The former cyclist was lent a hand by Dr. Alastair Darwood, a biomedical specialist who had previously worked on respirators during the corona pandemic.
Red Bull’s smart gadget was named Skarper. You can put it on the rear wheel of your bike and ride away like a real electric bike.
This is how Red Bull’s Skarper turns your regular bike into a real electric bike
Getting Skarper on your bike takes some puzzling. Especially if you are not very handy, you have to tinker a bit. Namely, you have to replace the rear brake disc with a special variant that you get with Skarper from Red Bull. Then you click the gadget onto the brake disc and turn it on.
And then hopefully you can race as fast as Max Verstappen. If you’re done with an electric bike for a while, you can easily remove the drive unit. That’s handy to do anyway, so it doesn’t get stolen. If you don’t use the motor, the brake will still work as normal.
Ready to race thanks to Skarper. (Image: Red Bull Advanced Technologies)
Red Bull’s Skarper works just like other e-bikes. When you start pedaling, the motor gives an extra boost. A sensor on the pedal controls how much boost is given. And when you cycle uphill, the motor gets a signal from an inclinometer to give you some extra help.
Should Max Verstappen get jealous?
The handy gadget has a 240 Wh battery and a 250-watt electric motor. Red Bull Advanced Technologies claims you can drive 60 kilometers. And that the unit is fully charged within two hours.
For such a powerful toy, you will undoubtedly pay a hefty price. To turn your regular bike into an electric bike, you have to pay 1,500 euros. You can pre-order the Skarper online at this link.
Not only Red Bull is coming up with an e-bike solution. Domino’s is also on a roll. The pizza delivery company is now using electric bikes, so you’ll never have a cold pizza again. You can see what they look like in the post below:
