E-bikes are a great way to make cycling a little more casual. For morning commutes, they can mean less sweat when you arrive at the office. For mountain biking, they can mean doubling the distance traveled in the same amount of time. But they can be very expensive, even with tax rebates and other deals popping up around the country. So don’t buy a new e-bike. Convert your existing bike into an e-bike with Swytch.
Swytch has two styles, each with multiple options to fit nearly any bike you can think of. Each kit comes with a front wheel motor, a power pack, a pedal sensor, an optional LED display, and a charger. This does not turn your bike into a fully motorized bike, it turns it into a pedal-assist e-bike.
The front wheel motor is designed to fit many types of bikes, with you choosing at checkout what type of bike it’s set to go with. The wheels can be both rim or disk break compatible, offering a max speed of 15mph (UK/EU) or 20mph (US). With 40Nm of torque and 250W of power, this e-bike motor shouldn’t leave you disappointed on the hills.
The pedal sensor just clicks onto your pedals, using magnets to sense when you’re putting in the work and sending power to the motor wheel to match. Meanwhile, the optional LED display shows the battery level while unlocking extra power modes.
The difference between Swytch’s two styles, the GO and the AIR, comes in the power pack. The GO power pack weighs two kilograms, fitting pretty much anywhere on the bike frame. It supplies 187Wh to 378Wh, depending on the option you go for, and has the potential to provide a 45-60 mile range. The AIR, on the other hand, weighs just 700 grams and mounts anywhere on the handlebars. The battery pack is removable and charges in just an hour, but its range only provides up to 20 miles.
The Swytch ranges in price, from around $500 to over $800, but it’s one of the cheapest e-bike options out there, and it has the potential to weigh a lot less than a typical e-bike. You can check out costs and purchase the device here.