Putting A Swytch Kit On My £5000 Racing Bike

Electric Bike conversion on a £5000 racing bike, why not? We test the new version of the Swytch kit in some challenging conditions.
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[@thebikepackingadventurer]

Great bit of kit for people who already have a bike but don’t use it due to effort or fitness. Anything that gets more people on bikes is a good thing

[@Cade_Media]

Yes!

[@christopherprice-hq5sy]

for those living in hilly environments and hauling a trailer it is... kinda indispensable.

[@thebikepackingadventurer]

@@christopherprice-hq5sy a great assist for someone that it can help get up climbs and smile rather than grimace 👌🏻💪🏻

[@whynotride327]

It is no longer a bike, it is now a motorcycle.

[@thebikepackingadventurer]

@@whynotride327 power assist is nothing like a motorcycle. It assists the power, doesn’t provide it. It’s a good thing

[@terryschultz7352]

Yes I love mine. 66 kms today with plenty of climbs, and the motor to save my life/ get me home. Incidentally I am nearly 80, and this will I hope extend my riding life - it already has actually. So easy to fit and plenty of advice available. I don’t understand those who complain.

[@hughjaars2285]

Be lovely if Swytch could deliver kits to those who ordered them, been waiting eons for mine.

[@JudeTheYoutubePoopersubscribe]

Why would you buy this crap anyway? There's 1500w conversation kits online that cost less and will do 35mph.

[@somecyclist]

I'm in the same boat 🤣 should come any day now, going to try and get back my £100 first wave fee.

[@candylook50]

did you get it?

[@newblor]

@@JudeTheKZbinPoopersubscribe Well, not least because 1500w is not legal on the road in the UK without a motorcycle license and the legal motor assisted speed limit for ebikes is 15.5mph.

[@JudeTheYoutubePoopersubscribe]

@@newblor the swytch kit technically isn't legal either, because the display they give you has a function where you can unlock the speed above 15.5mph in about 30 seconds. And they supply a throttle in the box so you don't even have to pedal. The ability to unlock the speed automatically disqualifies it as an EAPC. so if your gonna get something like that you may as well just go all out.

[@JohnLemieux]

The other interesting thing about this is that since it uses the front wheel it converts your bike to all wheel drive. Throw some snow tires on that thing and try it in winter.

[@JackofNothingess]

I never thought of that! This would be a perfect on a gravel or fat-tire bike for the winter.

[@alanashizume5651]

Would need to slap some insulation on the battery, otherwise the cold would leech all the energy out of the battery.

[@swecreations]

@@alanashizume5651 depends on what battery type they used, but yes if it's not lithium batteries made to handle low-temperatures insulation would fix that.

[@nebnollock5198]

​@@alanashizume5651 not actually that bad on ebikes, I've ridden an electric fat bike with a Shimano battery and motor in Finland (-26 degrees) and it was fine

[@gur123noor]

@@nebnollock5198What electric e-bike do you use in the cold/ snow/ ice? Any other tips for new winter e-bike rider and a new immigration to a cold region (Canada)? (O am from India - no snow)

[@Rose.Of.Hizaki]

My commute used to be 24km. I worked with a guy whose commute was 50-60km each way and have known one or two to commute 90-100km each way. I personally found that to be absolutely insane but they still managed to do that daily. They got up a few hours earlier just so they could have a relaxed ride into work where as me. The moment my feet touch the pedals Im basically doing a mini-crit till I make it to work or home. Some people just have absolutely mad levels of endurance.

[@Rose.Of.Hizaki]

@cony I thought so too but me and this guy participated in the same club rides and each time he did the exact same thing. Rather than taking the train into london. he woke up a few hours earlier and rode into london. He was insanely fit for his age. You wouldnt think it but he was 100% the real deal. There is this ride here in london called Dunwich Dynamo that happens every year. 112km. As soon as the ride started at 7.30pm. He was already at the end waiting for us. Thats how fast he was at completing the ride compared to the rest of us.

[@jewsaregenocidalhores]

OR England is a joke everything costs too much, including public transport, people have to find insane ways of commuting to their workplace. Which is more likely.

[@jewsaregenocidalhores]

I’ve only gotten into bikes because it’s been impossible for me to get a car in this garbage country, I’ve been trying for 7/8 years but it keeps going up in price and wait times are a joke

[@nunyabizness9955]

Who rides 100 km to work and 100 km back again? Sounds like porkies.

[@nunyabizness9955]

I hear you. I live in Scandinavia and feel the same way so i got a bike too. Rather drive but its not an option with gas prices, road taxes, and car prices.

[@monkeyboy7981]

I bought one of these, it arrived last Thursday. The reason I bought one is because my partner is only 4'10" and nobody makes a light, non folding, sensible ebike for an adult of that size. I didn't expect to be wowed by the swytch conversion but it's surprisingly good. I've fitted it to her Carrera Saruna 13" frame with 26" wheels and it rides well. And as for the bit where you mentioned finding out how to speed it up, I was straight onto that. It'll run at over 20mph when you tell it it's got 16" wheels and you also turn the max kph up to 31 👍

[@fredcrane5079]

I installed my Max Swytch on my 11sp Dura-Ace equipped road bike. I did not install the pedal sensor and solely rely on a throttle. Most of my rides approach 50 miles (80km), so I carry a spare Max in a slim frame bag just above the seatpost water bottle cage. Some of my rides exhaust both batteries over hilly terrain, but flattish ones can get me close to 60km on a charge, before swapping them out. So far over my two months of operation, I've accumulated around 500 miles and with complete satisfaction with the system. Overall, it adds about 8 pounds to my bike's original 18 pound weight, but keep in mind about me carrying a second battery. Complete electric bikes exist out there with greater range, more power, and similar final weight, but most cost over four grand.

[@FaithsFallen]

Swytch need to put some regeneration into their design to put some power back into the battery when going downhill!

[@screscenti]

Thanks for the good work guys. I think the question at the end (which includes the short range), could be answered easier if they made a more universal charging format like USB-C. This way someone who does have a 15k (9 mile) or 30k (18 mile) commute to the office could pop it off their bike and charge it up just like a phone or tablet.

[@screscenti]

@cony it looks similar to other ebike chargers I have. Feedback for Swytch would be getting a standard USB C into the battery and it could help them out.

[@screscenti]

@cony Good point. Didn't think about the voltage. I was thinking seeing most laptops (way smaller battery) are all switching to USB C these days.

[@markjthomson]

Will be interesting to see how this goes. Recently saw a frame with a failed bottom tube. The guy had fitted a similar system to his road bike and it appeared the frame didn't like the power being applied through front wheel in that manner. Obviously there are a whole lot of other reasons it may have failed in that area but keep an eye on your bottom tube near the headset area.

[@MikeWestern-ul1rm]

Great video guys I am looking to change a couple of old bikes in our shed to give them a new lease of life. This kit looks just what we need for shopping and backwards and forwards to the pub. I am 80 years old but still play a lot of golf and do my large garden so luckily still very fit and a very handy with anything mechanical. Thank you again for your inspiration. Mike Western

[@andyfairchild2383]

I’ve got one of their old generation kits on my Brompton and its great. It’s perfect for getting round Bristol with its many delightful hills! It adds a little extra weight, but still manageable when carrying the bike,folded, up the stairs to a third floor flat.

[@JudeTheYoutubePoopersubscribe]

They are overpriced rubbish tho. I got a 1500w kit for not much more and I guarantee my bike demolishes yours.

[@sneekz07]

@@JudeTheKZbinPoopersubscribe Don't be so pathetic. It's not a competition.

[@JudeTheYoutubePoopersubscribe]

@@sneekz07 it's not about competition. It's about the terrible value this ebike kit is. They charge so much then it takes months to show up at your front door. I got a 1500w motor and a big 52v battery with all the extras for not much more than this kit costs.

[@ChrisALindsay]

I recently got the swytch kit with the Max battery. I retrofitted it to a 2015 Giant TCX. It seems to get the advertised 30KM range you need to be in power level 2 (see below). I've also just discovered you can go to power level zero (no lights on the power level indicator, at least on the basic display) when going downhill or sitting at traffic lights to help save a little more battery. When I first got the kit I set it to the highest settings and wondered why the battery was being drained so quickly which is what I imagine it was set to in this video. Here is what Swytch Support sent me. The below-recommended settings are not available anywhere that I could see on Swytch's website or documentation. ---------------------------- Level 1: 34km Level 2: 30km Level 3: 26km Levels 4 and 5 are designed as power boost settings to help on inclines and difficult terrain, please note the range will vary significantly with increased use on steep or long hills. Check that your Power Limit setting (hidden setting, see the manual to access) is set to the standard, middle option which is 80%. (The max it would let me set this was 90%) ---------------------------- I now mostly use power levels 1 and 2 with 3 reserved for those steeper hills to get a good balance better range and assistance. My commute is around 16.5 miles (26.6 km) and quite hilly and the battery lasts as long as I use power levels 1 and 2.

[@therealchayd]

I was sceptical when I first saw these kits, thinking they were overpriced, underpowered and impractical, but in retrospect maybe I was unfairly judging them given that they're designed to be easy to install, maintain, have a useable but not excessive range, and designed for last mile city commutes rather than huge distances over difficult terrain. I was surprised how well they did even under difficult conditions. So well done to the team at Swytch 😊

[@igorsajn6246]

I have a new Swytch kit for about a month and it works great on my trecking bike. I do not use it on top level 5/5 100% power (all the time) but rather just turn it on for steeper slopes above 5% or stronger wind conditions. And if you use it like that, range for smaller Air battery is far beyond 30 km. In the summer I am gonna test it on mountains terrain (10-20% slopes) and see how long the Air and Max battery will last. Thx guys for your videos. Greetings from Slovenia

[@mindfulnessbringshope]

Hey there! Did you ever test this on mountainous terrain? I’d be curious to know how many k’s this would do if it was only used intermittently or just for hills. Thanks 😊

[@igorsajn6246]

@@mindfulnessbringshope Not yet, but in 2 weeks I am taking a longer ride with a 15 km 7.2% avg. slope (5-15%) - very TDF like - and I can report to you later how it goes. I aim to use just Air battery for slope alone and see, if I could get to the top without switching back to Max.

[@adrenalinemike]

@@igorsajn6246 Thanks for replying. That TDF style ride sounds like a perfect test of the Air battery! I'd love to hear how that goes as that would be the kind of ride I would like to do. I've got a Max kit on order supposedly for delivery next month. I'd like to be able to ride longer distances and only use the Swytch motor for inclines. Thanks again! Mike. Just realised I'm signed in with a different account, but @mindfulnessbringshope is also me!

[@michiohirai2233]

I installed a swytch kit on my wife's bike for two reasons: 1) Without a motor, she is really slow. Children go faster than her. But with the swytch motor, she and I can enjoy a bike ride together without me stopping every 30 seconds. 2) Weight. A real e-bike would be too heavy for her to lift and we live at the second floor of an appartment. She needs to be able to lift that bike up and down the stairs. So far, she seems to like it. The range isn't great, but it's perfect for her commuting to work.

[@keithjenkins7919]

Never understand why many electric bikes are built like and look like motorbikes, obviously the lighter they are, the longer the range will be. At least now, some manufacturers have come out with lightweight bikes. The one I have just ordered is a reasonable 13.5 Kg with an (alleged) 60-mile range.

[@Shooter_gringo]

@@keithjenkins7919hi Keith, what bike did you order. Have you used it yet and are you happy with it?

[@keithjenkins7919]

@@Shooter_gringo ordered a Ribble Gravel AL e - Hero with Di2, sadly still waiting for delivery

[@Shooter_gringo]

@@keithjenkins7919 thanks Keith. I’ll have a look. I’ve been researching for ages but don’t know what to pull the trigger on.

[@tonyjmcd]

Always guys very informative, would be great to have the option for miserable commuting day - luckily working from home means only two days in the office, if I was in 5 days I'd defo consider one of the kits

[@rupert6126]

I have the old kit on my hybrid bike and it helps me get more mileage in and tackle steeper climbs than I might have otherwise done. I had to remove sensor tape and screw lugs from sensor unit to get proper clearance to magnets but Swytch instructed me to do that - don't think it voids the warranty.

[@Hyfly13]

100% tried that at home - if it doesn't fit chop the bracket off with side cutters - no biggie, you're not affecting the capsule and they accepted my warranty application video.

[@jani724]

Seems like a neat kit. I have a 16 km commute each way so as long as the bigger battery doesn't take forever to charge I could while at work. It's normally around a 15-20kmh headwind to work so this could potentially help on arriving so sweaty here in the Florida heat.

[@jani724]

@@JuanCarlos-lh9sm I commute on a Look 765. It's more the weather than the bike or road obstacles. It is very flat and humid where I live

[@alanashizume5651]

Biggest selling point for me is that when the battery dies, or if I get bored of the kit all together, I can easily remove it all and still have a great road bike left over. Dedicated ebikes are too heavy once the battery dies. And proprietary ebike batteries that stop being sold mean that eventually the ebike becomes massive ewaste.

[@spishco]

7:36 Looks like the Swytch literally transforms your bike into another one!

[@enuazeal]

so what was the weight on 7.26kg road bike after install?

[@tomreingold4024]

You finally did what I was waiting for. I thought it was vaporware for a long time. 21 km on the bigger battery isn't bad, and it will be useful for some people, especially in hilly cities. My commute is 21 km each way, so I can't use it. The low weight is pretty useful, because I imagine most ebikes with flat batteries are deal breakers, and it's not so with this.

[@johnnunn8688]

If your commute is flat (ish) it will be fine.

[@JudeTheYoutubePoopersubscribe]

​@@johnnunn8688 or just charge at work

[@gregmunday5594]

I work at an e-bike and I just put one of these together today I found using the normal pedal assist sensor works a lot better than the one that comes with the kit

[@rivnuts7398]

You should bring back Justin once in a while.

[@chrisjoyce5539]

I have back injury so I can't do long miles on my racing bike at the moment but I still cycle to work on my hybrid bike. I might think about that for bike how much is it👍

[@johnnunn8688]

@@chrisjoyce5539 what?

[@southdowntim]

Does the Switch kit work on a hand cycle?? Video idea

[@billinhouston3291]

Same Rivnuts from GAP Trail?

[@davidk2471]

Not sure I'd do what he did but I do like my Swytch kit if you don't need to go super far or super fast . Very happy with mine.

[@bradw8964]

I use one, and in fact rode to work (+plus a train ride) using a previous version of the swytch kit this morning. Love it! I've added it to my customised Brompton. It is a fabulous way of making a ride to work simple!

[@grahambell9831]

Very canny set up & honest review gents 👏. Gear such as this to help folks get out and help them ride their bikes can only be a good thing 👍

[@stephenconnolly1830]

On my alloy roadbike with the max battery around central London at setting number 2 the battery is easily good for 50 Km.

[@frazerash666]

Sounds perfect for my commute to work..on a 700c Trek hybrid...when you have finished with it I could give it a great home 😂 loving the Cade Media

[@laffoleybrian8119]

We have two bikes both with the pedal sensors fixed, I swap the swich motor and battery between them as needed, just a five minute job.

[@aldepal]

You should do more janky ebike conversions. Like take a single speed klunker and put a Pedal assist on it! As an avid cyclist it’s hard to say that I’ve really enjoyed ebikes. It enables me to bike commute everyday. Like I would ride my Regular bike one day and my Ebike the next as a kind of ‘Rest Day’ 😄

[@MarkWhiteman-nt3dt]

Got one for my work commute and it’s bloody brilliant- just get one, they’re ace!!

[@olliepayne9632]

Wish they could make a bottle cage battery ! Better than the upfront one

[@percival3830]

Loads of fun! There's always a bit of weather around Derwent Reservoir and up on Waskerley Way.

[@petertreadway]

Interesting to see this in action. I chatted to the Swytch guys at The Cycle Show last year and it seemed like a well priced alternative to a full e-bike. This would definitely serve the majority of people I know who commute to work in London.

[@wplg]

I understand they came out with a new kit with a much more powerful battery. I'd love to see your review on their new one.

[@robbchastain3036]

These kits definitely serve a need, I don't have the Swytch kit tho' I do have a Green Zone Bikes kit with Samsung battery and thumb throttle on my commuter and it is still a lot of fun to have and ride on a 28-mile round-trip commute, not enough power for all the way either way but when the weather is warm, I can pretty much stretch it to cover the sections where I want assistance and that's more the false flats and boring flats than ramps and rises which I tend to attack out of the saddle lest I use up the juice in the battery on those. And you are right, so much better to ride a bike with a dead battery on a kit than a full-on heavy e-bike with a dead battery, no comparison. And when I run out of juice, either in the colder months or from riding into work with lots of assistance to beat the time clock, I'm pretty much okay with it as it was nice to have the assistance while it lasted. And all in all it is just a fascinating learning curve to apply an e-bike kit to your own riding style and, O the joy, when I run errands around town on my commuter on a day-off work, I'm essentially riding a silent motorcycle as I can basically let the motor freely power me a mile here and three miles there, such fun.

[@raymondii436]

I ordered one of these for a folding bike. For the price of the kit, and the folding bike I bought (A Giant)....I will have spent a lot more money than just buying a complete e-bike. If I bought an e-bike, you are relying on the e-bike not breaking and being able to get replacement parts (especially the battery) years later. What I like about these kinds of kits is: it's completely reversible....you can revert it back to a regular bike....something you can't do with an e-bike. Also, I find most e-bikes very clunky and heavy. This Swytch kit is more compact and simple.

[@phillip2662]

I've just ordered one, I'll see how it goes.

[@davidlemoda2677]

I love mine. I have one for my Brompton and I have one for my cube Mountainbike ! Just awesome ! Nice video indeed

[@DavidJames-q1l]

(I could be wrong but) I think the bodge you did on the crank sensor was only required because you didn't read the manual (or watch the video) where the frame spacing was explained. You would have seen that the sensor gets mounted on the down tube, not the seat tube, and the spacing between the frame and crank is accounted for with the proper selection of bits in the kit.

[@Hyfly13]

Of course you chopped the range if you increased the top speed out of the box. BTW I do do a 22km commute which is why I still use the old kit with the Pro pack. TBF they replaced the bracket out of warranty period because they'd had some dodgy ones (probably why this is a new design where the battery pack doesn't flex the bracket on every bump) and I hadn't ridden in lockdown. Customer service was a bit slow as I don't think they were exactly overstaffed but maybe better nowadays. I don't think I'd have bought it with the current max range on the new kit tho. Good video!

[@jerrypritchard9605]

Thanks for the video, I’ve been looking at their product for a little while now and I think you’ve convinced me. So thanks ( Jerry from Canada)

[@cneubert28]

The part I’m more impressed with is the quality of Dunkin Donuts in the UK.

[@tandemoniousd8493]

I ordered one of these based on your first video with the old model. Still hasn't arrived yet but should be here any time. I'm putting it on an Electra Townie 7 speed cruiser. We live in Florida and this should be perfect for running errands and such. Fingers crossed.

[@tandemoniousd8493]

It just arrived today!

[@brianmccallum7749]

It would be great for folk who would otherwise not recreationally bike/ commute. However, I prefer the energy assist of the far less expensive banana

[@DC-lu5qs]

I'm really intrigued to try this out for my partner. She has little interest in cycling but might join me once in a while if she had an e-bike. Trouble is, the selection in her size (150cm tall) is pretty thin. Seems like a retro kit might open up options. As always, I absolutely love the tinkering and hardware hackery. As a great man once said "If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy"

[@timothymburton]

Bought one for my wife - my dad ordered one too.

[@lonestarlaurel]

Lol 💚 Happy trails 🐾🎶

[@somecyclist]

I bought one only because I work as a deliveroo rider and I'm often riding 30 - 40 miles a day, in London it's not so bad but in Birmingham, the hills can be tough. So I bought this, the bigger battery and I expected to get 30 miles from it (waited 7 months nearly so it will arrive soon). When I worked for Just Eat Takeaway full time I was doing 500+ miles a month easily for 15 months. But I still didn't get an electric bike. So I guess I'm not like most riders who pick this up and I actually need a lot of mileage, however, as I'm used to doing the 30 miles on a regular single speed road bike, I am hoping that even if my pedal assisted miles are cut short, that it will still be worth it JUST for the hills and to make me a bit less tired out. Even if I can just cruise along with the lowest pedal assist or with none sometimes, then put it up to 5 for the hills, I am hoping that it will be enough for a day. As I do really need about 40 miles. I'm using light tires, single speed so less weight from components, and barely anything at all on the bike so hopefully, it will be very ridable even when not using the battery, on flat road (I would save some battery for the hills coming back home). I am already quite a strong cyclist, but sometimes I don't want to be sweating my ass off and working out just to make a few quid. I'm also hoping to switch job and use it to save thousands a year on my commute, and it will just make further away journeys much more manageable.

[@DominiqueB]

did you receive your kit, and if so, what's your experience? I like your use scenario, i'd be interested to know if it works for you and does last you all day.

[@TimChump]

Swytch are excellent at marketing there are so many better options out there it’s untrue

[@Ash-fo3gw]

Thanks guys, this just helped me which kit to buy :)

[@ah-64apache84]

Everyone knows that 5000 pounds is way too much for a racing bike! If you want a good riding experience you should stay below 11 kilos!

[@LAC-rh7cg]

I have two max battery kits.. Love them .. Use them at the end of long ride in case I run out of energy.

[@PinchDaddyDog]

Mine arrived last week, unfortunately I need the 9mm not 10mm bolt axle thing. I have messaged Swytch as per instruction pack, just waiting for them to respond. They did say they had unusual customer traffic at the minute. Can't wait to try it out, looks great and hopefully gets my fat arse doing some exercise 🙂

[@bikecommuter24]

Good idea, my commute to work is uphill and I ride a Hybrid 8 speed to work and for errands and I don't really need e- assist (maybe in a few years when I get old lol I'm 60), if I was getting a second bicycle I think I would use save up and just buy an e-bike outright

[@philevans3507]

Could you fit two of them to the back wheels of Justin hand bike? Not that he needs it, just seems like a good challenge

[@ericiven7168]

Set up one for a customer. The wheel was pretty wildly out of true with pretty crumby tensioning. Something to be wary of.

[@alanashizume5651]

Agree. I'm not bike mechanic, but out of the box mine had visibly wonky spokes even though the packaging was not damaged. It works, but is not optimal. Swytch seem to just slap these wheels together.

[@cliftonhlore4873]

I know y'all know what y'all are doing but I say just buy a ebike big or small you cannot lose I live in Metairie a suburb of New Orleans I bought a used ebike and I am totally satisfied thanks for listening😊

[@Nurwin1]

I use the Swytch air to commute to work It's 6km in and 6km home and in setting 2 I often have 4 to 3 lights left on. It's on an Orbea road hybrid bike the most I've had out of it was 16km on the flat. I think you put that battery through it's paces with all the wind and hill climbs. Only issue I've had is my Swytch battery did fail and discharged exactly a year and 3 days after purchase. Swytch however did replace it like for like. But it was a concern because non of my power tools such as Hitachi or Makita have ever failed me after a year on their lipo batteries. Despite Swytch saying it is a premium battery I think they are just generic Chinese cells. Which makes the battery itself very expensive @£200 and £250 respectively if you do need to replace. The other issue are the spokes of the wheel they supply. The do get loose and cause noise. Hard to balance ones they have gone loose because of the motor.

[@Kwikstyle]

Switch kits should be fold out solar charging like the bear grills charger you could fold it out as u camp/rest or run out of juice

[@akokada973]

Put this on a e-bike. So it can be a ee-bike :)

[@DC-lu5qs]

would the e's cancel out and its back to a regular bike? Or would it be e-squared? Extradimensional cycling? We demand answers, Francis!

[@akokada973]

@@DC-lu5qs would be e^2

[@shelleytween3872]

Frankly, there is no customer service. If you are not a bike mechanic or if you don't know a bike mechanic, fitting all the bits together is near impossible. No one to call, no response to emails, no chat. No videos that show assembly of the small bits up close. After waiting 6 months for my kit to arrive, again without communication, I am now struggling to get my bike on the road. 😢😢😢😢😢

[@MisterAndyS]

I'm pretty worried about those carbon dropouts which were not designed to take torque.

[@alanashizume5651]

Definitely not! It is really meant for steel or titanium only, as are most wheel motors. Aluminum or carbon and the torque can cause damage, especially if you use the motor at full power a lot and/or are heavy. There are torque arm bracers you can buy if you are worried (I got those for a cheap aluminum bike), but if you have an expensive bike, I would not risk it.

[@Primo_extracts]

Straight away, I knew these guys were legit 😂 great video👍

[@kbekla1451]

i have a converted Carrera hellcat 29" but went with a 250w torque mid drive motor from tongsheng, about £100 cheaper than the swytch with a 13ah battery and found for hills etc this is better overall, did have a rear wheel motor prior but found it a fair bit heavier, we also have a peak trail 3e (rear hub) and a raleigh forge (front hub) and the mid drive feels more natural and has a fair bit more range, and was easier to install than the hub motors with the cadence sensors and controllers, range on this swytch kit is pretty bad tho our worst bike is the forge and that manages 35 miles on max assist, the hellcat will do about 30 miles on half a battery

[@bigmac5217]

I ride 17 mile to work without the battery and use the battery to commute home 17 mile 982 ft elevation It’s always lasted the full journey (old type battery)

[@Skatted]

I tried putting my Nintendo switch on my bike and it didn't do much

[@Jimmidoesstuff]

Lol

[@Brookes79]

If the Swytch kit batteries could be charged with a power bank (that you carried in your backpack) these kits would be a game changer, as no more lugging around a heavy charger & asking coffee shops or cafés if you can charge your bike

[@monkeyboy7981]

You'd need a hefty power bank 😂 You could just carry a second swytch battery 👍

[@peterwilson6018]

@@monkeyboy7981 Have you seen the price of a second Swytch battery?

[@monkeyboy7981]

@@peterwilson6018 no but I'd guess around £200, how many miles do you think you'd get out of power bank and surely a suitable power bank would weigh more than a charger 🤔

[@Brookes79]

@@monkeyboy7981 not really, my 30,000mah power bank weighs as much as the smaller Swytch battery.

[@peterwilson6018]

@@Brookes79 that's 30Ah, but that means nothing without a voltage. If it's 5V then it's 150Wh. The Swytch Max battery is 5Ah@36V so 180Wh. The small one is 3Ah @36V so 108Wh. If you bought the power bank from eBay, AliExpress or even Amazon then you might want to check the actual capacity. They tend to make up numbers. I'd be very surprised if a power bank smaller than the Swytch battery can store 150Wh.

[@Jackie0188]

I bought and installed, it is good, but another chinses company provided cheaper choise, I will buy and try.

[@BrizzleRocker]

The return of Pump Action Francis! I'd love to hear about any follow up to the USA adventure epic sometime?

[@SonnyDarvishzadeh]

For that price, I recommend an older Bosch E-bike with 400wh battery. You can find them under 2500 and they're well supported everywhere. And you don't need to fiddle with the setup of your bike, especially the wheel.

[@twgood5882]

I want to collect a tax rebate $ for an ebike but have the handling of a standard bike. Bundling Swytch with a good road bike looks promising.

[@adamweb]

When you mentioned cable ties vs. zip ties I assumed Zip was a brand like Velcro or Q-tips but nope! The name comes from the sound it makes 🤦‍♂

[@DC-lu5qs]

yes!

[@DanRC69]

I was seriously considering getting a Swytch Kit, but the lack of power, poor range and limited wheel choice kind of made it a poor alternative to more powerful and better value kits out there. Its ONLY benefit is its form factor, as some other kits are HUGE that come with a mess of cabling and an unnecessarily HUMONGOUS control box.

[@ToThePointCT]

Yeah unfortunately it's just a gimmick that everybody seems to be falling for. I just bought a yose power conversion kit for £380 including the battery and it's absolutely phenomenal

[@Khalidazizphoto]

I think its an awesome product, when you can get hold of and install it but I herad it can take up to 6-12 month for shippment and customer support is terrible. and the other thing is Warranty issues since the UK isn't i the EU anymore and it's a UK based Company BTW I live in Germany

[@kieranscrutton6037]

Will you be releasing the “Wild” t shirt that Francis is wearing guys!? Love the colour

[@elwoodzo]

Great review thanks - been looking at those to fit on an old bike for my da....

[@kevinlyon9501]

Would I have one probably not, I'd be looking at it and thinking how I can make this sensor fit better. Still a useful bit of kit to anyone on a short commute.

[@marvin.nazari]

Would love to see more of that Jimmy’s bike 😮

[@k04s4]

I wouldn't use a front hub motor. I have several mid drives and prefer a tsdz2 on a road bike with a large battery for long range.

[@vaska00762]

Hub motors avoid excessive wear to the drivetrain. Mid drives are known to strip off the teeth on a cassette, including very expensive ones. It's why Shimano made Linkglide and the Cues range.

[@k04s4]

@vaska00762 a tsdz2 uses a torque sensor and not shifting under load saves the drive train. I have thousands of miles on a normal shimano cassette and chain. Some motors make way more power than humanly possible, which can destroy the chain and cassette. The bafang and cyc motors all top 1kw nominal and max near 5-6kw.

[@rdaved]

Interesting video. Since my road bike has a carbon frame & a thru axle on the front I won't be installing it. Other products are available which don't require replacing the front wheel although, I still think I'd be better off losing some weight than fitting one of these kits to my road bike.

[@henkwildeman6201]

LOL 7:40 the bike completely changes :D

[@cb6866]

Thanks Francis and Jimmi......interesting .!

[@zachs6191]

video aboout jimmis cargo bike please!

[@vasiliipopov416]

Did you have a chance to look at another easy conversion kit from Rubbee? Would be nice to see your test, considering your experience with the Swytch

[@DP-PhD]

Interesting experiment and top job to actually try to get it fitted! If you’d got it on the 5k bike wouldn’t the torque from the motor have buggered up the carbon fork/dropouts?

[@johnnunn8688]

😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣

[@DP-PhD]

@@johnnunn8688 ‘Forgot to mention the torque arm! It’s the silver metal piece that attaches to the fork. Torque arm will help dampen the rotational forces generated by the front hub drive. Highly recommended if you have carbon forks like me (Swytch will send you one if you ask for it).’

[@Onyxaxe]

Yes, I would. I'm disabled and just did my first day of Uber Eats. I need more help lol. LIGHTWEIGHT help.

[@BikepackingAdventures]

Haha it took you so long to do a Switch video- looking forward to this one!

[@andywells397]

Am buying one for my £120 bike that i got from halfords 4 yrs ago, i will probably use it then ..😅

[@BigBrownMonke]

7:39 The abrupt cut 😂😂

[@julianhj]

£1100!?! No thanks.

[@ianmangham4570]

You'll get near double range in HOT 🔥 weather.

[@toyshanger8945]

You can use the tail frame which I did and work

[@Chrisb142day]

Uhhh, how about you put something in the review about how hard it is to pedal, or how fast you can go on flat ground vs. uphill, or how long you can go at various power levels. i would think that most people interested in buying an e-bike would be interested in these features rather than your review. How is the pickup etc... Just thought I would throw that out there. Cheers

[@lizziecade1902]

❤

[@bockersjv]

Your tool wall is just begging for a Shadow Foam installation. Would look great in Park Tool blue with some Cade branding.

[@05lmcmahon]

Thank Jimi!

[@Hambonebodi]

❤yes

[@Henrik.A]

The connectors are called HIGO....if anybody was wondering.