[LoveMyBike]

Why a Quick-Install Grip Switch "throttle" control?

GO easy! Your handlebars and brakes are unique and tuned perfectly to your riding style. Other electric bike conversion kits require you to completely replace and re-adjust your brake cable and handle grip system in order to operate their features.

Be careful not to bite off more of an installation project than you can chew. You may be disappointed with how difficult other electric bike kits are to work with. Also remember, many bike shops will charge top-dollar for their labor (maybe a half-day) if you ask them to install a complex kit for you.

There's a good reason you don't see videos of competing electric bike kits being fully installed in minutes in real time with no editing.



Clean Republic:

Power is either 100% on or 100% off. Instant control, easy to monitor battery usage, quick installation, universal ergonomic positioning.

Your Clean Republic electric bike kit comes with a streamlined Grip Switch power control. Your electric power assist from the motor is either 100% on or 100% off. The system is lightweight overall, so you can just ride your bike like usual, then when you encounter wind, a hill, or get tired you can just gently hold down the Grip Switch button and you instantly get 100% of the power the motor provides for assistance or cruising. The motor will stay engaged as long as you gently hold down the Grip Switch button. The instant you want to stop using battery power, or take your hand off the Grip Switch button and move it to the brake handle, the motor turns off and goes into a super low friction freewheel mode. This gives you full and instant control over when you are using your battery power.

Kits with adjustable "rheostat" throttles offer 'universal' adjustment of the power, but often the instinct of the user is just to twist the throttle to 100% when power assist is wanted, and then let it snap back to 0% when it's not desired, rendering all the intermediate power settings moot. Also, these throttles usually require you to disassemble your handlebars to one degree or another, requiring more installation solutions and work.
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User:

I recently spoke to someone who owns and tested the Hill Topper Kit. He had many fine things to say but I concentrated on asking him about things he'd like to see improved. He said holding down the button over a long period of time maybe was more difficult than the type of 'thumb levers' that many kits come with that allow you to just push it down and hold it easier.

Picture here of typical thumb throttle so you know what I'm talking about:
http://www.e-bikekit.com/shop/index.php ... 8&parent=3

Is it possible for someone to swap out the current push button throttle and substitute a thumb throttle type of mechanism?

Thanks,

[Mike]

Hi LMB,

Good question.

Each person has their own personal combination of hand size and bike handlebar shape. Our power control is designed so people can position it in many ways so it's comfortable for them. Basically, our button throttle (we call it the "Grip Switch) can easily be placed inside of your rubber handlebar grip where your thumb can depress it. Our Grip Switch is designed to be easily installed in many positions on any type of bike so customers can choose a 'trigger' finger motion, a 'thumb throttle' motion, or even a palm pressing motion to activate the power assist.

The plastic thumb lever throttles in other kits have very limited installation options because of where the must be place on the metal tubes of the handlebar. They are one good way to control the power, but we wanted to give our customers a more user-friendly and universal placement option.

It's possible (if you're into DIY hobby work) to substitute your own controller and throttle electronics with our system. Check out our ProPack page for this type of in-depth DIY work at: http://cleanrepublic.com/electric_bike_kits_hill_topper_pro_pack.html

[Mike]

Good points. It's really the versatility that makes this button design so good.

People's handlebar shapes are as different as their hands, and then you have all THOSE permutations, so for one rider it might be very easy to reach over and press the velcro button with their thumb, and much easier to do it with the forefinger on another handlebar/hand shape combination. With other throttle designs you have to adapt your riding to their design, but with ours it's the other way around. You can find a comfortable mounting orientation that fits your personal, unique situation.

Cheers,

Mike

[acordeon]

Hi, I'm shopping for an e-bike system and have a few questions:

First of all the throttle: you don't say much about it on the website, but it looks like it's a simple on/off switch? So the motor has only two settings: off and full-blast? Am I understanding that right?

The only e-bike I've tried so far was a Giant Twist, which had the torque-sensor and variable assist (the harder you pedal, the more it helps you). How does this sort of system compare, in terms of controlling your speed and the feel of the ride? Is there any problems derailleur shifting while under battery power? I saw one poster recommended staying in one gear while under power?

Have you guys considered offering any sort of more sophisticated throttle? Could 3rd party throttle be used w/ your motor?

Finally, I'd like to test your system before deciding whether to buy. I live in Bellingham. If there's anyone who lives here who has one, and would be willing to let me ride it for 5 minutes, please let me know. If not, could I drop by the CR store/offices next time I'm in Seattle and try one?

Thanks!

[Mike]

Hi Acordeon,

It's a good overall question about the Grip Switch system we've designed. Basically, we found that users of twist throttles twisted them up to 100% when they wanted assist, and then let them click back to 0% when they didn't, basically using them as "on or off" systems anyway. We decided that since people end up using it like that then there's not much benefit in the long complex installation of disassembling your handlebars to install the twist throttle.

That's why we went for the easiest-to-install concept with the velcro Grip Switch concept.

The other big issue is that it gives you 100% control over when you battery is being used, just like a twist throttle. Many bikes and kits automatically turn on the motor when your legs begin to move, causing a hurky-jerky kind of movement that can even be a bit unsafe, in our opinion.

There are no problems with shifting as our system has no connection to your gearing. You could attach a 3rd party throttle to our motor but you'd have to do your own electrical work and find your own controller.

You certainly are welcome to stop by our Seattle office for a test ride!

Cheers,

Mike

[Mike50]

hi , i got the standard 399$ hilltopper over a month ago and my big concern was the on off throttle ,,,

i find it no problem and i like that i could move it around till i got it in a spot that does not interfere with my

normal riding style ,,, mike

[dpietras]

I quite often ride in weather below 40 degrees, and I think that the button throttle or "grip switch" would be very difficult to use while wearing insulated gloves. The button is simply too small, IMHO. What I've done is use a small amount of epoxy putty to make an extra-tall addition to the button. It works great for me. If you aren't familiar with epoxy putty, it is available in the plumbing section of large home improvement stores. It is a 2 part epoxy "glue" that comes in the form of a stick with the 2 parts packaged as a light colored outer ring surrounding a dark interior. You cut off a slice, mix it by rolling it around in your hand until it turns uniformly gray, and then apply it to whatever. I am also using it to hold the magnet of my cyclocomputer onto the heavy duty spokes. The main advantage of the epoxy putty over epoxy glue for applications like this is that it has substantial "body", so you can form it into shapes and you don't need to worry about liquid glue flowing into areas you don't want it in.

[Mike]

M50, that's great to hear, thanks for the feedback!
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DPietras, great work! I've done that same trick myself, in researching options for improved tactile response from our electric bike kit switches. Do you have any pictures to share of your putty work?

Cheers,

Mike

[rainguad]

Has anybody installed an on/off switch on the trigger so that you don't have to keep the button pressed for long distances? I would love to know if it is possible.

[frank]

I am shaking my head in disbelief after reading yours and other posts about the button 'problem'..p-l-e-a-s-e..is your house light switch difficult to use too?..my hunch is that you have positioned the button incorrectly on your handlebars..this is very easily solved with the velcro strap for a better location..come on guys you can't be that inept..as for wiring up some other button and adding brake wiring so you don't have to hold the first one on..are you guys nuts?..if you can't hold a button for a minute at a time while riding you should't have a e-bike in the first place..and what's with holding the button and brakes at the same time all about?..are you nuts??????..there are excellent reasons why the Hill Topper grip switch is designed exactly how it is already.

[alex]

If you override your button with some home rigged hold-down contraption that would not be a good idea.

[zenkick]

@alex - I've read the HR727 text, and understand that the "electric bike" definition is now under the restrictions of the Consumer Product and Safety Act (15 USC 2051). However, nowhere in my readings have I seen anything as specific as you mention, notably "require all electric bike throttles to immediately return and stop the motor upon release", nor could I find anything that could be interpreted as that. Would you be so kind to point me to that legislation -- Federal, State or otherwise? I'd like to review.

The other comments regarding safety are valid, and although I'm not as emotional in my writing regarding it or with a response to some of the colorful words used to convey others' thoughts, I certainly can respect them. There are some good points brought up. Thinking through some of the potential hazardous scenarios, I thought of something hypothetical myself, which may have already been addressed by the creator of this product: What happens if the button that you hold down sticks, or breaks closed (assuming closing the circuit is what is turning it on)?

Anyway, a design improvement that I will offer up, and perhaps do on my own, would be a throttle-type control that is simply on when it reaches a threshold, and off when it passes back over the threshold. Just as a real throttle, it is tensioned so it returns to "off" when not twisted. I am not suggesting a variable speed control, but rather just borrow the design. I know when I ride my motorcycles I find this very ergonomic. I also know that this might not work for everyone, or be as easy as strapping a button where you see fit.

Now, as I said in my original response to this post, I do not have my kit yet (Monday ETA), so I can't comment on the comfort of the system. I also can't comment on whether or not holding a button down for an extended period of time is safer than not holding a button down for a period of time. I could go off half-cocked and argue all the seemingly valid points to not having a better on/off system, I could also argue against it. But honestly, that's not a productive use of time. I'd rather be riding.

I will evaluate the electronics when I receive the kit, improve upon it as I see fit (understandably voiding the warranty), and if permitted, offer up any design changes I may have made on my own. I'm a big believer in open-source, and I'm a big believer in free ideas.

Read them or not - that is your choice, just like it is my choice to experiment with design improvements on my own and share my knowledge.

[middledan]

Do you have to hold the button down continuously?

[robert1389]

Yes. Otherwise you'd need a throttle or kill switch. The button is an "assist" when called upon, such as added "legs" when climbing hills, hence the product's name, "the hilltopper." Not meant to by continuously in the "on" mode.

Bob

[ahowardmd]

lol @ this thread.

You can only please some of the people, some of the time...as long as this contraption helps me to get up the steep hills without pushing my bike, I'll be happy. Someone already makes nice powered bikes with great adjustable throttles...they're called motorcycles!

[Mike]

A good customer picture of the latest version of the Grip Switch design:

IMAG0389.jpg (62.06 KiB) Viewed 793 times