“Crowdfunded kit which took its time to come, but there were loads of encouraging emails sharing the progress to delivery. Installation took about two hours, requiring only basic mechanical skill, no special tools and no special bike knowledge. Surprisingly powerful when boosting my old single-speed Dawes Galaxy. I'n now generally using it on power setting 1 or 2 with recourse to 5 on big hills. I'm very well pleased with the build quality and performance of the kit. I recommended Swytch as a low-cost entry for anyone intrigued by the promise of e-bikes.”
“I'm very happy with my Swytch Eco kit, a 28-inch Eco kit, which I've fitted to my trusty Saracen Skyline touring bike (with drop handlebars replaced by raised bars). Fitting was simple, with no hitches. I ordered my kit with no tyre on the wheel, as I've go plenty of experience with fixing punctures, and with no noticeable drag from the motor when it's turned off, I don't envisage wanting to swap in my old wheel at any time.
I don't feel much difference between the power levels - maybe a bit faster on climbs at level 5, but I keep it on level 3 to conserve the battery. On a range test, I went for a 24-mile round trip without running out of charge, and the 2 hours was just about my comfortable limit anyway, so that's plenty for me.
I ordered the kit expecting to use it mostly for my daily cycle commute, so save the wear and tear on my aging joints (I'm pushing 60), but as I'm working at home during the lockdown, I've been using it for evening and weekend exercise / leisure runs. I find the assistance is responsive. It feels like a friendly gentle push like a parent might give a child learning to cycle - very comforting. My exercise / leisure rides are now further / faster, therefore more interesting, and I still get plenty of pleasant exercise without getting exhausted. I do get a bit of a guilty feeling cruising past some younger unassisted cyclists, but I guess I'll have to get used to that!
Only a couple of minor quibbles to mention - I've had to be creative about finding a place to mount my front light, now that its place on the handlebars is now taken by the power pack. The belt-loop things on top of the pack just weren't up to the job. The unused connectors from the power pack (I think for thumb throttle & brake sensor) did not have covers supplied, so I've wrapped them with gaffer/duct tape for wet weather protection.
In summary, the Swytch Eco has been a great success, and I'm looking forward to commuting with it when office working returns.
I posted a speeded-up video of a trip around my area (NW Edinburgh) on YouTube, which I took last week with my phone tied to my chest. Not perfect (a bit of shake on bumpy sections) and not quite horizontal, but still quite a fun watch: https://youtu.be/LGtVEiKmshs”
“Fitting: No problem fitting the kit to my Claud Butler Explorer 400 Hybrid, but the PAS sensor adhesive tab had to be cut off to enable it to fit in the narrow gap between the non-cylindrical down tube and the disk attached on the crank. Fixed using Sugru and plastic binders as recommended in instructions and on Swytch forums.
Product Performance.
Environment: Hilly
Rider: Male, late fifties, medium build and fitness
Adequate power to climb steepish hills 25% gradient without getting out of breath on PAS 3+. Usually use in PAS 1 mode on less hilly terrain and easily get a range of 30-45 miles. In short, it flattens out hills and makes cycling enjoyable.
Round town the power assist is perfectly adequate on low PAS setting 1 to be able to pull away smoothly from standing start.
Handling: The weight of the battery does not have a noticeable effect on handling in motion but care needs to be taken when parking bike to prevent the handlebars swinging and bike toppling.
Overall: After 200 miles of pleasurable cycling with the bike it has opened up a lot of new possibilities for cycling in this hilly part of the UK. Powerful enough, smooth enough and affordable conversion to ebiking for me. Will update review in 6 months for a longer term perspective.”
“Transformed an old mountain bike that was heavy and only used occasionally into a great commute ride.
It's like having your own personal tail wind and puts a smile on my face every time I use it, which is now often.”
“Great piece of equipment - easy to assemble to the bike and works excellently. One tiny issue (the wheel was ~15mm smaller in diameter than the one it replaced [universal kit] and the tyre doesn't fit as well when changed over) .”
“Absolutely brilliant upgrade to my wife’s hybrid. Took a bit of “fettling” (file and angle grinder!) of the front forks to get the spindle of the wheel to fit, but everything else was easy. Some progress photos uploaded”
“After a longer-than-expected wait (COVID) between my Indiegogo support and delivery of my Pro kit, I am very happy with how it transformed my daily and trusted bicycle. My main motivation was to upgrade my now 5 yr old bicycle which I specced with a single gear hub. It's now ready for more years of carrying kids, groceries and myself around. Installing the kit was a couple hour job, changing the tyre was the most challenging part (that says a lot about the ease of the rest of the steps). And I love the fact that I hardly notice the kit is there when I choose not to use it (and leave the chunky battery home). Owned it for 2 months, used it for about 100 miles.”
“Great ebike conversion kit. Now I can leave my car for commuting, with the actual 50km range. Installation was really plug & play.
I challenge Swytch to design a version 3.0, where the battery gets a place within the frame in stead of on the handlebars. This will improve stability in tight turns at high speed.”
