British startup Skarper has won the Eurobike ‘Component’ award for its device that can turn any bike electric in one click.
Backed by six-time Olympic Champion and Skarper founding investor Sir Chris Hoy, the company’s ultra-light and portable drive system delivers powered assistance by attaching to a bike’s disk brake.
The award comes ahead of Skarper’s first customer deliveries scheduled for Q4 this year.
“It feels fantastic to win a Eurobike award. It is not only a testament to the hard work of the entire Skarper team, but it is also recognition of the highest order that Skarper addresses a real need and solves an industry problem,” Skarper Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer Uri Meirovich told Zag Daily.
“The Eurobike awards have become one of the most important awards in the cycling sector. If you look at past winners, these are some of the biggest names in the industry. We believe that for the judges to choose Skarper as a winner means that they agree with us, and that there is a need for a bike that can be both – a regular bike when you want it, and an e-bike when you need it, without compromise.”
Earlier this year, the tech company announced its partnership with F1 team Oracle Red Bull Racing’s Advanced Technologies after Sir Chris Hoy demonstrated the device’s prototype to Oracle Red Bull Racing CEO Christian Horner.
Skarper’s award-winning unit contains a 250-watt rated motor and a 240Wh battery giving a range of 50 kilometres, all contained within its 34cm by 16cm by 11cm dimensions.
The unit clicks on and off the bike’s rear brake mechanism thanks to Skarper’s DiskDrive rotor which replaces the rear disk, and powers any bike with no loss of performance when compared with an integrated e-bike.
“Skarper is an e-bike for people who love cycling, offering the flexibility to seamlessly switch between an e-bike and a regular bike. We believe that there is a huge part of the market that, while intrigued by e-bikes, is either not willing to swap their lightweight and nimble bike for a heavy and cumbersome e-bike, or are not willing to invest in an e-bike as a second bike.
“We hear it from a lot of our customers that they thought of converting and decided against it, and Skarper allows them to have their cake and eat it too.”
Uri said that the company is experiencing high demand and a constant flow of pre-orders for the device despite official advertising having not yet started.
Skarper will make its biggest public debut to date at the Eurobike 2024 show in Frankfurt, Germany which takes place from today (July 3) to July 7.
“We couldn’t be happier and prouder to show the final production Skarper to the world at Eurobike as an award winner.”
