Red Bull has come up with a way to make cyclists’ lives easier

Red Bull engineers have developed an interesting device that allows you to quickly turn an ordinary bicycle into an electric bicycle, and British fans of two-wheeled transport will certainly appreciate it.

The device, which weighs around 4kg, is called Skarper and is made by the technology division of Red Bull Advanced Technologies (RBAT). It looks pretty neat, and the thing is, it can be attached to most regular bikes equipped with disc brakes.

The length of the Skarper suitcase is 34 cm, inside there is a battery that drives a 250 W electric motor. But the main trick lies in the specially designed gearbox, which is mounted on the rear wheel of the bicycle together with the brake disc. The original transmission allows you to use the brakes in normal mode, but at the same time the torque from the electric motor is transmitted to the rear wheel through the hub.

In developing Skarper, RBAT engineers applied the experience and knowledge gained from creating and modernizing Formula 1 cars. On one side of the rear wheel of the bicycle, as usual, there is a chain and through it the force with which the cyclist pedals is transmitted, and on the other side there is a device that provides additional acceleration.

The first investor of the project was Sir Chris Hoy, the famous Scottish cyclist, winner of three Olympic gold medals, and the author of the idea was Dr. Alistair Durwood, who worked with RBAT during the Covid-19 pandemic when Red Bull Racing’s technology division joined the program to produce artificial lung breathing systems.

The authors of the device claim that it allows you to travel 60 km and it takes two and a half hours to fully charge the battery. The Skarper can be attached and detached to your bike in seconds, but the device doesn’t cost much, with an estimated price of £1,295. However, this is at least cheaper than purchasing a new electric bicycle.