65 - Skarper: The Revolutionary E-Bike System That Fits in Your Hand

Discover how Skarper’s ultracompact clip-on disc drive turns any bike electric, combining sustainable design with Formula One-inspired engineering for urban riders.

Post title: Skarper: The Clip-On Disc Drive That Turns Any Bike Into an E-Bike (Third Angle Podcast)

Overview In this 20-minute episode of The Third Angle podcast from PTC, host Paul Haimes visits Skarper in Camden, North London, to meet co-founder Dr. Alastair Darwood. Skarper, founded in 2020, has built a clip-on disc drive that turns any standard bicycle into an e-bike in seconds, and used PTC Arena PLM for its first product launch.

Key Takeaways

• Skarper's disc drive is a third way to power an e-bike, alongside hub motors and mid-drive motors.
• The unit is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand and detaches to return to a normal bike.
• Test rigs run units at maximum power (430 mechanical watts) for over 2,000 kilometers.
• The motor caps at 25 km/h, with automatic clutch disengagement above that speed.

How does the Skarper disc drive turn a bike into an e-bike? Skarper attaches a disc brake rotor system to a standard bicycle, converting it into an e-bike in seconds without modifying the bike. Because no existing components were small enough, Skarper spent its first years designing its own speed controller, electronic boards, and battery management system, creating one of the smallest, most powerful speed controllers available.

Why is a clip-on e-bike system more sustainable? Each Skarper sold means one less heavy e-bike manufactured, and unused bicycles get a new life as e-bikes. Its compact size lowers the carbon footprint of shipping and warranty repairs, and separating the electrical components from the bicycle extends the bike's lifespan.

How did Red Bull Advanced Technologies help test Skarper? Skarper partnered with Red Bull Advanced Technologies to solve power and torque density in a small space. Custom rigs in Skarper's North London Test Lab stress test units to destruction at 430 mechanical watts for over 2,000 kilometers, and a waterproof chamber simulates torrential rain. Early rotors failed after 20 minutes; current designs withstand weeks of extreme testing.

What riding modes does Skarper offer? The Skarper Bluetooth app offers eco, cruise, and turbo modes. Eco adjusts power to incline and cadence, turbo lets the rider lay off pedaling, and backpedaling three times pauses or reactivates the motor.

How did PTC Arena support Skarper's product launch? Skarper used PTC Arena, a cloud-native PLM system, for its first product launch. Jon Hirschtick from PTC explains that Arena replaces scattered spreadsheets, BOM versions, and email chains with one source of truth that suppliers and manufacturers access directly, with no servers to maintain.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Do I need to modify my bicycle to use Skarper? A: No. The system attaches to a standard bicycle and can be removed to return to a traditional bike.

Q: What is the top assisted speed of Skarper? A: 25 km/h. Above that speed, the clutch disengages automatically.

Links & Resources

• Third Angle Episode 65: Skarper, The Revolutionary E-Bike System That Fits in Your Hand (ptc.com)
• Listen on Spotify (open.spotify.com)