eBike Conversion Kit Tested
My wife and kids want to come cycling with me, but they find the distances and the hills a challenge. So what is the answer for cycling with the family? An e-bike / assisted bike / electric bike?
Of course, but there are some issues which made me stop and do the research…
What is wrong with electric bikes?
1. Heavy – Even the most expensive e-bikes are heavy and difficult to move around, especially if you are not that strong.
2. Expensive – Some people like to waste money, but I like to use my earnings on adventure and experiences.
3. Wasteful – If you already have a bike you like and it still works well, why change it?
Why choose a Swytch bike?
1. Light – Added is 2kg Power Pack on the handlebar and with 1.5kg motor in the front wheel hub. The total bike weight is evenly distributed.
2. Not expensive – There are cheaper e-bike conversion kits, but none so easy to install and compact. Swytch is MUCH cheaper than a new electric bike.
3. One less bike on the scrap heap – using what we have avoids waste.
Weight distribution is important
The biggest issue for me and my family was that when the motor weight was added to the rear of the bike it was hard to control. If you are not strong, it is especially difficult when parking the bike.
Long lasting battery
The trips I want to take with the family are around 3-5 days. Around 50-70k (32-44 miles) per day, on trails and small lanes, with many hills in Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. So I wanted the battery to last for these trips.
E-bike comparison
I looked at many other kits, and there are plenty of comparisons if you want to research more. I found that there are some kits that might be cheaper and others that would need a specialist mechanic. Some e-bikes provide frightening speeds and turn the bike into a moped.
For me, Swytch is the easiest to install, and lightest of its kind. Once you take everything into consideration I think it gives the best value for money.
Swytch are improving all of the time. Click here to see the latest model.
Above are the main points, plus there are some personal things to also consider:-
- The battery pack just lifts off the handlebar to avoid theft.
- If you don’t want the power you just turn it off and ride your bike just as it used to be.
- New electric bikes usually have a different gearing system – If you are used to your gears and like the way they work, you don’t need to change them.
- You like your bike the way it is – With the motor wheel on the front, all you do is swap that front wheel and add some cables to the battery pack. The bike stays the same.
- With your pedal power on the rear wheel and e-power on the front wheel, the power is evenly distributed.
- The hub in the front wheel means you are not changing the rear wheel gearing which makes for easy conversion.
- The weight at the front makes your bike weight evenly distributed and therefore easier to move around.
The ultimate in re-cycling
Whether you’re looking for an electric bike for commuting or want to hit the trails. An e-bike lets you tackle longer days, steeper hills, and heavier loads.
Why spend money on a brand new bike when you already have a bike you love? With a Swytch Bike you could convert that old bike in the shed. Add electric assist for less money, less hassle, and feel good about recycling.
How to Make the Swytch with a big discount
Sign up to Swytch to convert any bike by clicking this link to collect discounts and benefits.
For transparency… If you purchase using my affiliate link, both you and I get £25 discount, you off this purchase, and me off my next purchase.
Discover more about Swytch Bike here.
Very useful watch 🙂
Thanks Ben
The battery is placed on the handlebar and the kit runs the front hub motor. Tell me how is the “total bike weight” distributed evenly?
To distribute the weight evenly the heaviest parts of the bike should be fitted in the middle of the bike as low as possible. Simple physics.
“The hub in the front wheel means you are not changing the rear wheel gearing which makes for easy conversion”. What does it mean for you?
If I run a normal bike and convert it I can put on the same cassette/cog combination – what means I don’t change the rear wheel gearing.
The converted bikes stay the same- whichever kit , rear/front/mid, you take.
“The weight at the front makes your bike weight evenly distributed and therefore easier to move around” – you repeat the same again – how makes a high center of gravity (handlebar battery – the one you show) easier to move arround?
“The trips I want to take with the family are around 3-5 days. Around 50-70k (32-44 miles) per day, on trails and small lanes, with many hills in Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. So I wanted the battery to last for these trips.”
The official statement for the bigger battery pack:
“The large battery can power you for up to 17 miles (30km)”.
“Up to” means the max range. And I’m pretty sure it’s not calculated for trails with many hills. Speaking from my experience with electric bikes and conversion kits with way bigger batteries.
“Review” and “tested” means for me: some practical experiences that are missing here.
Your review is more a product presentation but, even then, the way you do it doesn’t match the reality IMO.
Hi Tom, thanks for your comment.
What I mean by the weight being distributed more evenly, is compared to bespoke e-bikes where most of the weight is at the back, where the battery normally sits, plus you may have pannier bags, and o course the back is where you sit.
When my wife hired an e-bike she found it difficult to manoeuvre it when walking or parking it. Because the weight was mostly at the back she was not strong enough to keep the bike straight and it hurt her wrist.
The Swytch bike is easier for her to move around.
Also you get a 2-wheel drive rather than if the hub was on the back wheel.
You mention simple physics, and I’m sorry if I wasn’t technical enough for you, but I was trying to use language that the average leisure cyclist would understand.
My daughter and my wife have used the Swytch bike for many trips (and please remember this was one of the first batch, they are much more efficient now), including from the North Devon coast to the South Devon coast, plus many trips in South of Cornwall. Our days are similar to yours, around 50-80k per day. The battery lasted all day on every trip. There was one occasion we were stopped for coffee in Devon and charged the battery in the cafe ‘just in case’.
Obviously the length of the battery life per day depends heavily on how you use it. Because you have normal gears on a normal bike, there is no requirement to use the power on flat or down hill sections. Also it will depend on what weight the bike is carrying.
I can only give you details of my personal experiences.
It is a shame you consider my ‘review’ to be just a ‘product presentation’, perhaps I should add more ‘tried and tested’ information like I have here. You are entitled to your opinion, we all are. However, what I have done in the review as well as in this reply is written true facts, in reality, as I experienced them.
Good video cheese , I agree it transforms riding the hills and is still a good work out , if you don’t pedal you don’t ride .
Opens up great opportunities to take on the more hilly rides
Thanks Sparksy. Yes, it makes cycling more inclusive.
Hi Alan, Good review. Is it easy to fit? might get one for Kate to come out with me!!
Hi Jeremy, Thanks, I feel strongly about including everyone in cycling, and we enjoyed filming the video. Yes, it is easy if you know how to use a screwdriver and a spanner. My first one took about 2 hours, but that is because I read everything. It should take less than an hour, and it is simple. Swytch Bike give you great video instructions too.