Helpful video, which thanks. We ordered two kits a year ago on the indiegogo offer, expecting delivery around March which of course was into the Covid lockdown time. It took about a year for everything to arrive 10 days ago. We also had problems with installation, but then, these were two older bikes. Mine, a Moulton AM7 and my partner has an older model Cannondale. Both had 9 mm dropouts to accommodate a 10 mm axle. This took quite a lot of filing/grinding to accommodate the axle but eventually the fit was good. I agree that the wheel and hub set seem to be well built. Both bikes had challenges with fitting the pedal assist sensor mechanism. The magnet containing disk did not attach well to either crank. I had to cut away the Cannondale’s inner circumference to fit; in addition to a large-based crank the Moulton has a small frame bolt that gets in the way of the disk (more of that later). We like short handlebars which causing some crowding of levers on either side of the battery bracket. The bracket pad had to be adapted with a sharp knife to fit our bars. In retrospect, I would not say that the in-line brake cable sensor is necessary as stopping pedaling inevitably cuts the power. The throttles seem to be of high quality giving a graded power increase. Not knowing which design we would prefer, we got one of each and are both happy. On the Moulton, I gave up on the pedal assist sensor and use only the throttle when faced with a hill on today’s test ride. I may be able to modify the bottom bracket to accommodate a sensor and fit this at a later date. Hookup was unexplained in the instructions but the colour coding of the plugs made everything work. First impressions. The front does feel heavy and clunky at first but that doesn’t last long. Overall - we’re happy so far. Bowen Island near Vancouver has some steep hills which just got easier and will keep us cycling longer on two beloved older bikes converted at a reasonable cost. We still have our lighter bikes for fun riding elsewhere.
You are a diligent mechanic with way more skill and patience than I had. Glad it worked for you in the end! I looked into the new smaller battery to reduce some of that front end load but the cost of shipping and taxes was ridiculously high so I'll stick with the big lunchbox sized battery.
Very helpful video! I passed on the throttle and thus didn't need the brake sensors. The motor gives me more than enough help without doing all the work. I have gotten as much as 40 miles on a charge with the new PRO battery (80km) if it isn't too cold and I don't overdo the help. The newer models (mine is late 2021) are much easier to set up. Most things need no changes. Sometimes I just roll the power assist setting down to zero help if I know I have a long down hill or flat stretch and that also extends the life of the charge. Be sure to look up whether the throttle is legal in your area (it isn't in mine) and what the top speed is (I raised mine to 30kmh/18.6mph because 20 mph is the local limit and I don't want to outrun my braking capacity). As for tip 17: a cable lock goes nicely between the power pack and the handlebars!
Another Canadian! How has this performed in the wet and the snow? It seems like theyve improved the kit in the last few years... but I do want to see if this would work in the winter to make commuting a bit easier. I'm mostly concerned about salt, water and grit in everything wearing it down too fast! Buying a $4,000 e-bike to thrash it in the snow seems like a waste. Has the crank magnet rusted at all?
Good question! I'm a wimpy fair weather rider, so as the temps fall to freezing I'm not riding much. Certainly the battery wont last as long. I'm not sure how well that little pedal sensor will hold up with it's 1-2mm of clearance getting salt/dirt for a season. Corrosion may occur with those exposed magnets too. I havent had issue with the motor hub but again, its been a bit babied. All that weight forward on the front tire from the battery and motor riding on slippery surfaces is a bit of a control issue too. I think if i wanted a serious winter bike I would look at a better sealed, mid mounted chain motor. We need to hear from some winter riders to get the answers!
excellent review , the kit is pretty simple , it takes time and has foibles. You hit on them all - the ui for the battery is a black box to me . I did find your descriptions and thought on this spot - on - it’s a major part of the solution - doesn’t need tampering with , so the it shouldn’t he very least make complete sense rather than very little sense in parts.The pedal sensor separation process again is a simple thing for swytch to ‘help with’ they’ve chose to say nothing alas , which for some has resulted in a broken disc. Also the sensor spacing from the disc itself is another major area of issue. Understandably every bike is different - however the kit could be sold with a simple collection of rubber spacers for EVERY order , then all orders would have a solution. Still on the whole the kit does a good job , attention to more detail on subsequent iterations will help new customers. For us existing customers .. well... we have a closed facebook group - to not refer to .. and this useful video ;) thanks again.. !!
I have sent those feedback items to Swytch two years ago now...talk about not responding! It is a good product and could be so much better if they just listened a bit. Thanks for your comments.
Indiegogo's crowd funded Swytch bike conversion kit converts your regular bike to an e-bike. I give my thoughts and 18 Tips! that are both specific to Swytch and applicable to any e-bikes and conversions. With Swytch the front wheel is swapped for a motor hubbed wheel, a few sensors and a big battery. I review the experience, the ease of installation, the failed battery manual, the quality materials and joy of a great product. A must read for anyone thinking of getting into a bike conversion into an e-bike. If you want to avoid my long winded trying to make sense of the battery and system settings (not needed to actually use the bike) then skip from 7'40" to 17' 58". Great system though, hard to beat the value of it!
@@NorthOlbo I watched a guy fitting the brake sensors he had to guide the brake wire through it, hydraulic doesn't have wire, so I don't see how it would work, I'll visit their site, happy riding, 👍😊
I’ve found you nearly need to be an electrical engineer to understand to various ebike setup settings. I unfortunately had a wrong milli-ohm setting on mine which was the prime reason the battery only lasted 2 years.
Are you sure it's a good idea to put a stress point onto that Carbon fork leg? Torque arms need to be tightly fastened to a no-movement part of the cycle, which the fork is - but carbon has a way of letting go spectacularly if subjected to stresses outside the original design parameters. Which that torque arm certainly is... Plus all that extra weight permanently on the fork which you may just have weakened, even slightly... wishing you luck with it.
@@johnmockett8415 - I seem to know that name... The same JMockett with interests in motorcycles and cartoons thereof? (That's going back a decade or several...)
$630 it's too much even with the "50% " discount. Trying to justify myself spending this much I would like to use the bike I have now, but you can also buy a proper ebike for not much more. Lots of others kits out there as well
I assembled my kit yesterday and the problem I’m having is it’s heavy and hard to pedal. Once I turn off the battery pack the bike runs smooth again . Any ideas?
@@agoodjoe6910 your comment is not Stupid. I have since worked it out. However Swytch thought it was the battery . ( faulty? ) 😂 No wheel was on backwards. All good now thanks for replying ... 🚴🏽♂️
@@drstew1 how is it for you anyways compared to no conversion? I've been thinking of getting one of these kits to help me travel much farther with my heavy camera equipment in my backpack. Not exactly sure on whether it's worth it?
I am still waiting for mine, going to 7 months soon. It is sitting somewhere in a warehouse. I was thinking this was a scam. The kit is made in and shipped from China. It is not surprising the text is poor quality probably translated from Chinese.
I too read the manual at 14:40 and scratched my head. I wrote to swytch telling them to create a video explaining what each of those are. I like my swytch but find the front wheel has to much resistance if i want to use my bike normally without the motor
You are right about the extra resistance from the front tire when “free wheeling” or power off. You can’t really ignore the fact that its an electric wheel with the extra weight of the battery. I suggested to SWytch that they develop a rear carrier for the battery with some extension cable to the front mount. That would greatly improve the balance of the bike and make the front wheel less dominant.
I had a video call and showed them the resistance was too high and they sent me a refurbished tire. It's an older model. It's better but not like a completely free wheel. I abondoned the breaks completely and after a year my pedal sensor dodnt work. They sent me a new one. i think it's fine as a product, but not worth the current price tag. I got mine on a Indiegogo campaign so was much cheaper
@First Last I don't know the current price. Go to their website? I paid 250 or 300usd. It has flaws, but it really helps going up those Hills! Anyway, you do need another bike for normal riding.
@First Last it makes biking like walking. So you get amazing range with little effort. I do like it. The question is quality and method. The motor below the crank are superior.
@@jonathankrimer My Husband and i have the newer Model with the much smaller battery pack there is no drag on the bike when riding it normally that is one of the things they fixed on the new model, great kit.
If you mean the foldable Montague type I believe so. They have an adapter kit but I dont know anything more about it so you’d need to visit their website.
Wow , that was some time ago. I think it was 25% duty/tax and shipping came to $100 CDN. Not a lot considering how much e-bikes cost. I’m still happy with it although I like the new battery (which I dont have) that has the same range and half the size. The big bulky battery on the front handle bars puts a lot of weight and stress in combination with the front motor on my front plastic fork. Avoid rough pavement I guess.
Not a lot of value for 1000 doll hairs in my opinion. It puts all the weight on the front of the bike and up high. 250w all be it like having Lance Armstrong peddling for you isn't great either. Not crazy about the battery looking like handle bar basket. You did a good job installing it. Probably a good thing you didn't put more than 250w on those forks. To much power the aluminum drop outs will probably separate from the carbon forks and that will suck.
I think I paid about $350 for the kit at the time, so not all that much money for an ebike. But you are right about the weight, the motor on the axle is forward and the 3kg or so battery sits high on the handle bars and gives the steering a bit of twitchiness. This bike is so light that 250 watts is all I need, it rockets to 30km/hr in seconds and is plenty strong. 5 km of full assist, with a few moderate hills uses up 1 bar of the battery, or about 20% so I’m good with that for local commuting. Thanks for your comments!
yeah...I’m no mechanical genius...I took it slow and careful, filing the front fork to fit the axle with my dull file took a while. Then I had to mount the tube/tire on the wheel as well. And reroute the brake cable was slow-ish because...it’s the brakes!...so I had to be sure everything was still good. Personally I think it was a minor miracle that it all worked out so well!
Helpful video, which thanks. We ordered two kits a year ago on the indiegogo offer, expecting delivery around March which of course was into the Covid lockdown time. It took about a year for everything to arrive 10 days ago. We also had problems with installation, but then, these were two older bikes. Mine, a Moulton AM7 and my partner has an older model Cannondale. Both had 9 mm dropouts to accommodate a 10 mm axle. This took quite a lot of filing/grinding to accommodate the axle but eventually the fit was good. I agree that the wheel and hub set seem to be well built. Both bikes had challenges with fitting the pedal assist sensor mechanism. The magnet containing disk did not attach well to either crank. I had to cut away the Cannondale’s inner circumference to fit; in addition to a large-based crank the Moulton has a small frame bolt that gets in the way of the disk (more of that later). We like short handlebars which causing some crowding of levers on either side of the battery bracket. The bracket pad had to be adapted with a sharp knife to fit our bars. In retrospect, I would not say that the in-line brake cable sensor is necessary as stopping pedaling inevitably cuts the power. The throttles seem to be of high quality giving a graded power increase. Not knowing which design we would prefer, we got one of each and are both happy. On the Moulton, I gave up on the pedal assist sensor and use only the throttle when faced with a hill on today’s test ride. I may be able to modify the bottom bracket to accommodate a sensor and fit this at a later date. Hookup was unexplained in the instructions but the colour coding of the plugs made everything work.
First impressions. The front does feel heavy and clunky at first but that doesn’t last long. Overall - we’re happy so far. Bowen Island near Vancouver has some steep hills which just got easier and will keep us cycling longer on two beloved older bikes converted at a reasonable cost. We still have our lighter bikes for fun riding elsewhere.
You are a diligent mechanic with way more skill and patience than I had. Glad it worked for you in the end! I looked into the new smaller battery to reduce some of that front end load but the cost of shipping and taxes was ridiculously high so I'll stick with the big lunchbox sized battery.
What was the cost ?
Very helpful video! I passed on the throttle and thus didn't need the brake sensors. The motor gives me more than enough help without doing all the work. I have gotten as much as 40 miles on a charge with the new PRO battery (80km) if it isn't too cold and I don't overdo the help. The newer models (mine is late 2021) are much easier to set up. Most things need no changes. Sometimes I just roll the power assist setting down to zero help if I know I have a long down hill or flat stretch and that also extends the life of the charge. Be sure to look up whether the throttle is legal in your area (it isn't in mine) and what the top speed is (I raised mine to 30kmh/18.6mph because 20 mph is the local limit and I don't want to outrun my braking capacity).
As for tip 17: a cable lock goes nicely between the power pack and the handlebars!
Nice Review Thanks for the post
Thanks for watching!
thanks very helpful indeed
Another Canadian! How has this performed in the wet and the snow? It seems like theyve improved the kit in the last few years... but I do want to see if this would work in the winter to make commuting a bit easier. I'm mostly concerned about salt, water and grit in everything wearing it down too fast! Buying a $4,000 e-bike to thrash it in the snow seems like a waste. Has the crank magnet rusted at all?
Good question! I'm a wimpy fair weather rider, so as the temps fall to freezing I'm not riding much. Certainly the battery wont last as long. I'm not sure how well that little pedal sensor will hold up with it's 1-2mm of clearance getting salt/dirt for a season. Corrosion may occur with those exposed magnets too. I havent had issue with the motor hub but again, its been a bit babied. All that weight forward on the front tire from the battery and motor riding on slippery surfaces is a bit of a control issue too. I think if i wanted a serious winter bike I would look at a better sealed, mid mounted chain motor. We need to hear from some winter riders to get the answers!
excellent review , the kit is pretty simple , it takes time and has foibles. You hit on them all - the ui for the battery is a black box to me . I did find your descriptions and thought on this spot - on - it’s a major part of the solution - doesn’t need tampering with , so the it shouldn’t he very least make complete sense rather than very little sense in parts.The pedal sensor separation process again is a simple thing for swytch to ‘help with’ they’ve chose to say nothing alas , which for some has resulted in a broken disc. Also the sensor spacing from the disc itself is another major area of issue. Understandably every bike is different - however the kit could be sold with a simple collection of rubber spacers for EVERY order , then all orders would have a solution. Still on the whole the kit does a good job , attention to more detail on subsequent iterations will help new customers. For us existing customers .. well... we have a closed facebook group - to not refer to .. and this useful video ;) thanks again.. !!
I have sent those feedback items to Swytch two years ago now...talk about not responding! It is a good product and could be so much better if they just listened a bit. Thanks for your comments.
Indiegogo's crowd funded Swytch bike conversion kit converts your regular bike to an e-bike. I give my thoughts and 18 Tips! that are both specific to Swytch and applicable to any e-bikes and conversions. With Swytch the front wheel is swapped for a motor hubbed wheel, a few sensors and a big battery. I review the experience, the ease of installation, the failed battery manual, the quality materials and joy of a great product. A must read for anyone thinking of getting into a bike conversion into an e-bike. If you want to avoid my long winded trying to make sense of the battery and system settings (not needed to actually use the bike) then skip from 7'40" to 17' 58". Great system though, hard to beat the value of it!
So can you use it with hydraulic brakes?
@@dot2562 so they claim...I would go to their website though to confirm your setup
@@NorthOlbo I watched a guy fitting the brake sensors he had to guide the brake wire through it, hydraulic doesn't have wire, so I don't see how it would work, I'll visit their site, happy riding, 👍😊
Does the kit come with a fire extinguisher?
I’ve found you nearly need to be an electrical engineer to understand to various ebike setup settings. I unfortunately had a wrong milli-ohm setting on mine which was the prime reason the battery only lasted 2 years.
Are you sure it's a good idea to put a stress point onto that Carbon fork leg? Torque arms need to be tightly fastened to a no-movement part of the cycle, which the fork is - but carbon has a way of letting go spectacularly if subjected to stresses outside the original design parameters. Which that torque arm certainly is... Plus all that extra weight permanently on the fork which you may just have weakened, even slightly... wishing you luck with it.
I've had some design experience with carbon and I wouldn't go near that front fork with that jubilee clip dug in there. Deadly.
@@johnmockett8415 - I seem to know that name... The same JMockett with interests in motorcycles and cartoons thereof? (That's going back a decade or several...)
$630 it's too much even with the "50% " discount.
Trying to justify myself spending this much
I would like to use the bike I have now, but you can also buy a proper ebike for not much more.
Lots of others kits out there as well
I assembled my kit yesterday and the problem I’m having is it’s heavy and hard to pedal. Once I turn off the battery pack the bike runs smooth again . Any ideas?
This may be the stupidest comment I have ever made, but you didn't install the front wheel backwards by chance?
@@agoodjoe6910 your comment is not Stupid. I have since worked it out. However Swytch thought it was the battery . ( faulty? ) 😂 No wheel was on backwards. All good now thanks for replying ... 🚴🏽♂️
@@drstew1 how is it for you anyways compared to no conversion? I've been thinking of getting one of these kits to help me travel much farther with my heavy camera equipment in my backpack. Not exactly sure on whether it's worth it?
@@agoodjoe6910 not that would be funny 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Can I install this kit on my 29" Giant Anthem full suspension bike? I note that max size is 28" only.
Good question for the Swytch people at their website. they have been good at getting back to me on questions I had.
NorthOlbo, thanks. Will they ship to the Philippines? I tried to buy another E bike, the Vanmoof S3, but their sales office declined.
I am still waiting for mine, going to 7 months soon. It is sitting somewhere in a warehouse. I was thinking this was a scam. The kit is made in and shipped from China. It is not surprising the text is poor quality probably translated from Chinese.
Don’t put a hose clamp around your carbon fork! You risk starting a crack in the fork at the point where the hose clamp digs into the carbon.
Yikes! good point, I'll check that out. Thats a lot of weight on that front fork with the battery.
I too read the manual at 14:40 and scratched my head. I wrote to swytch telling them to create a video explaining what each of those are. I like my swytch but find the front wheel has to much resistance if i want to use my bike normally without the motor
You are right about the extra resistance from the front tire when “free wheeling” or power off. You can’t really ignore the fact that its an electric wheel with the extra weight of the battery. I suggested to SWytch that they develop a rear carrier for the battery with some extension cable to the front mount. That would greatly improve the balance of the bike and make the front wheel less dominant.
I had a video call and showed them the resistance was too high and they sent me a refurbished tire. It's an older model. It's better but not like a completely free wheel. I abondoned the breaks completely and after a year my pedal sensor dodnt work. They sent me a new one. i think it's fine as a product, but not worth the current price tag. I got mine on a Indiegogo campaign so was much cheaper
@First Last I don't know the current price. Go to their website? I paid 250 or 300usd. It has flaws, but it really helps going up those Hills! Anyway, you do need another bike for normal riding.
@First Last it makes biking like walking. So you get amazing range with little effort. I do like it. The question is quality and method. The motor below the crank are superior.
@@jonathankrimer My Husband and i have the newer Model with the much smaller battery pack there is no drag on the bike when riding it normally that is one of the things they fixed on the new model, great kit.
Can this be installed on a Montague Paratrooper bike?
If you mean the foldable Montague type I believe so. They have an adapter kit but I dont know anything more about it so you’d need to visit their website.
How and where to buy as swych ebike kit
go to their website to order
Very helpful review. Thanks. How much did you pay for shipping and for taxes and duty?
Wow , that was some time ago. I think it was 25% duty/tax and shipping came to $100 CDN. Not a lot considering how much e-bikes cost. I’m still happy with it although I like the new battery (which I dont have) that has the same range and half the size. The big bulky battery on the front handle bars puts a lot of weight and stress in combination with the front motor on my front plastic fork. Avoid rough pavement I guess.
Not a lot of value for 1000 doll hairs in my opinion. It puts all the weight on the front of the bike and up high. 250w all be it like having Lance Armstrong peddling for you isn't great either. Not crazy about the battery looking like handle bar basket. You did a good job installing it. Probably a good thing you didn't put more than 250w on those forks. To much power the aluminum drop outs will probably separate from the carbon forks and that will suck.
I think I paid about $350 for the kit at the time, so not all that much money for an ebike. But you are right about the weight, the motor on the axle is forward and the 3kg or so battery sits high on the handle bars and gives the steering a bit of twitchiness. This bike is so light that 250 watts is all I need, it rockets to 30km/hr in seconds and is plenty strong. 5 km of full assist, with a few moderate hills uses up 1 bar of the battery, or about 20% so I’m good with that for local commuting. Thanks for your comments!
Just any ordinary chinese e-bike kit, that collected battery and controller in fabric bag.
Do you just go round everybody's video saying the same shit?
19:42 did I just hear 4 hours to assemble this to the bike?
yeah...I’m no mechanical genius...I took it slow and careful, filing the front fork to fit the axle with my dull file took a while. Then I had to mount the tube/tire on the wheel as well. And reroute the brake cable was slow-ish because...it’s the brakes!...so I had to be sure everything was still good. Personally I think it was a minor miracle that it all worked out so well!
I would not buy this kit, I have been waiting a year for mine and despite many assurances and £500 plus, I have nothing!!!!! :)
Isn't "crowdfunding" just a poncey way of saying BEGGING / SCROUNGING
5 hours to fit, 20 minutes max