Skarper is designed to fit disc brake bikes and has been tested on a wide selection of frames. The current Skarper unit fits bikes with 160mm disc rotors. Our future MTB specific version will fit 180mm rotor size bikes. If your bike has a 140mm rotor and you would like to use Skarper, you can adapt your bike to Skarper’s 160mm rotor using an inexpensive off the shelf 140mm to 160mm calliper adaptor which can be purchased online or in most bike shops. Skarper is designed to work with 26-29" wheels including (700c).

If you don't have a disc brake bike, don't worry! Skarper  have developed a rear wheel hub designed for rim brake bikes that can accept a DiskDrive rotor. This means that if you own a rim brake bike and want to breath new electric life into your bike, you could take your bike to our network of Certified Skarper Installers. They would be able to either rebuild your existing wheel with the Skarper compatible hub, or fit you with a new wheel that is compatible. We recommend using this opportunity to tune up your bike to ensure it is fit for purpose with an electric motor.  Watch this space for more information in the coming months!

In terms of weight, power, and overall experience, a regular bike powered by a Skarper unit compares favourably to more expensive whole eBike systems. Skarper gives you the flexibility to create your own high quality eBike while maintaining the ability to ride your bike normally when you choose. Skarper is lighter and provides a better riding experience than other eBike systems and is produced with high quality components, strong attention to detail and strict quality control.

The unit comes with it's own charger and you charge it the same way you charge your laptop or phone - plug the charger to any outlet and then connect the charger to the unit. Skarper can be charged while on or off your bike. In 2.5 hours Skarper is fully charged with a range of up to 60km. 30 minutes of charging will give 15 - 20 km of range.

The battery is built into your Skarper and cannot be replaced. If you need to service your battery you can send it back to us or an authorised Skarper service centre and have it replaced.

Skarper can be taken off your bike in seconds and then you can ride it just like a normal bike. In addition, you can also ride the bike normally with Skarper connected and turned off. We designed the system to have a built in free-wheel so there is no drag from Skarper.

Our cycling experts have carefully tested the balance of a bike with Skarper attached. The weight of the Skarper is similar to the drive chain system on the right hand side of the bike (Skarper mounts on the left). Just like you do not feel the weight of the derailleur - you will not notice the weight of the Skarper. This is because the unit is leightweight and is mounted low and close to the bikes centre of gravity.

There is no effect on the frame or wheels. Disc brake bicycles already exert huge forces on the brake calipers on the chainstay. The force applied by Skarper is much lower in comparison.

A bike shop will change a disc brake rotor for you in a matter of minutes. If you want to do it yourself, for an inexperienced cyclist, it should take about 10-15 min.

We developed DynamicClimb™ - a bespoke algorithm using a suite of wireless sensors, that measures the rider’s output, road incline and the performance of the drive unit to provide the support you need. All you need to do is attach our wireless sensor to the pedal crank.

NO. The braking surface remains unaffected the disc rotor behaves exactly as a regular disc brake rotor. The driving force is applied to a gearbox built into a recess within the disc - not directly to the braking surface.

Yes

All controls are on the UI on the face of the unit. We do have future plans for an add-on control unit and an app for changing control on your phone, so stay tuned.

Skarper is expected to be available to pre-order in 2023. If you have not done so yet, the best thing to do is to sign up for our mailing list here. We also encourage you to keep up to date on our social channels for the latest on pre-order availability!