Kamingo

Most e-bike conversion kits ask for tools, time and a new wheel. Kamingo takes a different route: a friction-drive motor that presses against the tyre, a removable battery that slots into the bottle holder, and a controller that clips onto the handlebar. The team behind it, which the campaign describes as engineers with development experience at companies such as Huawei and BYD alongside cycling enthusiasts, says the system took more than five years of research and development. According to the campaign page, the project raised over $1.1 million on Kickstarter.

Fitting and compatibility

The maker says first-time setup takes around 3 minutes to fix the motor base to the seat stay, after which the modules can be attached in under 10 seconds and removed in about 5. Kamingo is described as compatible with city bikes, MTBs, road bikes and folding bikes with aluminium or steel frames; carbon fibre frames are the stated exception. Total weight is quoted at 2.3kg (motor 0.9kg, battery 1.4kg), light enough, the maker suggests, to carry the modules in a backpack once the bike is parked.

Power, range and riding modes

The friction-drive motor is rated at 750W peak. The maker cites a top speed of 20 miles (stated in the source as about 32km/h) for the urban setting and 25km/h assist for EU-standard operation, with continuous output adjustable to match local regulations, and claims it can handle slopes of over 20 degrees. The battery uses 21700 EV-grade cells, which the campaign associates with the Tesla Model 3 and Y, with a capacity of 266Wh, up to 55 miles (90km) of assisted range, roughly 4 hours to charge and a USB-C port for charging a phone. A regenerative braking system is said to recover energy on descents and under braking.

A knob on the controller switches between three modes while riding: Assist, where the motor presses on the tyre to supplement pedalling; Cruise, where the motor provides propulsion on its own on flat ground; and Standby, where the motor lifts off the tyre for conventional riding.

Safety and other features

• Tilt sensor that, per the maker, cuts the motor when it detects a lean of more than 45 degrees
• Bluetooth lock to prevent unauthorised removal of the motor
• Sensor that disengages the motor if debris such as small stones gets caught at the tyre
• IP66 dust and water rating for the motor unit, plus a drainage tread on the assist wheel
• Motor noise quoted at 56dB
• Companion app over Bluetooth for ride distance, speed, battery level, lock/unlock, mode adjustment and firmware updates

Taken together, Kamingo pitches itself as a way to add electric assist only when needed while keeping the original bike's look and ride. All performance and safety figures above are the maker's claims and have not been independently verified by Modern-G.