REVIEW – I previously reviewed a bike conversion kit from Swytch late in 2019. It was a well-thought-through system that converted your existing bicycle into a pedal-assist e-bike. I was very impressed at the time and so three years later when they announced a new and updated version, I was keen to find out exactly what improvements and changes this kit had in store. Let’s go for a spin…

The Electric Bike Conversion Kit from Swytch magically turns almost any bicycle into a pedal-assisted e-bike. The kit comes with almost everything you need including a new front wheel with motor, battery, battery mount, display controls and even tools. 10mm Hex Head Bolt

For any of you that prefer videos, here’s a quick overview that shows the bike in action and a lot of what you’ll want to know.

The Swytch Electric Bike Conversion Kit comes well packaged ensuring that all components arrive intact. Enclosed are the following…

Hub Motor Front Wheel – 250W geared,  40nm torque, motor-hub pre-laced into one of 16 rim sizes (from 16″ to 29″) Power Pack – 36v Lithium Ion Battery (2 sizes – Air @ 98Wh (15k range) and Max @ 180Wh (30k range) Controller – Sine-Wave controller built into the handlebar mount Display – Low-profile display with controls for on/off and assist levels Dimensions – Air Power Pack (25 x 100 x 212mm and 700g) | Max Power Pack (36 x 100 x 228mm and 1100g) Kit Weight – 4.85lbs (2.2kg) or 5.7lbs (2.6kg) for Air and Max respectively. (Note the wheel swap means actual added weight will be less)

E-bikes can seem quite complicated, but Swytch has done a lot to keep things easy with minimal parts. The most visible components are the Power Pack and its handlebar mount. Unlike traditional e-bikes, this battery mounts in a second and removes just as quickly making security and charging a breeze. The Power Pack is available in the 15k range Air or the 30k range Max.

The motor hub is a beautiful polished silver and not so much bigger than a standard hub that it draws any unnecessary attention. It’s compatible with disc brakes out of the box and the kit I reviewed came with a 700c rim with sidewall brake surfaces for the bike I was to install it on. The rim is available in either silver or black.

The PAS system helps the system know how fast you are pedaling by measuring how fast 12 equally spaced magnets pass a static sensor relaying that info up to the motor controller to vary the assist level.

Lastly, the handlebar display provides speed info and lets you adjust assist levels on the fly with handy thumb buttons all in a small compact package that doesn’t scream e-bike.

Before you can install the Swytch Electric Bike Conversion Kit, you need to order a kit with the correct parts for your particular bicycle. There are really only two key variables; wheel size and power pack size.

If you don’t know the wheel size of your bicycle, you can find it on the sidewall of the tire. Being from the UK, Swytch uses the ETRTO system which stands for European Tyre and Rim Technical Organisation. It’s a group that was founded to help make sure pneumatic tires and rims remained compatible. A translation between inch and ETRTO sizing and a tire example are shown here.

As for the Power Pack, the decision to make will be how much range you would like to get between charges. Options are the Air 15k (9.3 miles) or Max 30k (18.6 miles). The Max Pack is about 10mm thicker, 10mm wider and 400g heavier with a higher price tag. Keep in mind that your bike will still function as a non-powered bike if you choose not to turn on the system or happen to deplete the battery, so lighter may be better in that regard.

Okay, let’s talk install. It’s very similar to Swytch’s 1st Gen version. This can be as quick as 20-30 minutes or take much longer depending on how particular you are with cable routing and dialing things in. Here are the steps…

A couple quick notes to follow up on the Swytch Electric Bike Conversion Kit install process.

Okay, so performance notes. The battery is the key component to an e-bike and also the most frequently stolen part out on the streets. Compared to the 1st generation Swytch, this battery and the way it attaches to the handlebar mount are MAJOR improvements. The top lever (shown below) opens the jaw of the mount to let the battery be easily inserted before clamping it back down.

This new Power Pack easily fits into almost any bag and even some jean pockets, but the weight will likely keep you from doing that. Battery installation and removal is perfectly executed and the only challenge will be remembering to grab it as you lock up your bike.

To start up the system, press and hold the button on the top of the display and then you can start riding. My unit was defaulted to Mode 0 (no assist), but a quick press on the up arrow of the display move to 1 through 5 increasing the amount of assist. The system remembers your setting from here out even through battery removal cycles.

If you get to a particularly steep hill that has you walking (happens to all of us), there’s a welcome “walk assist” mode that you access by holding the down arrow continuously on the display. It provides power to the front wheel and moves the bike along for you as you walk. Pretty handy since your bike does weigh a bit more with this kit.

The stock setup of 5 assist modes (+ off) worked great. Keep in mind that it’s set to only provide assistance up to the speed limit set for your country or region. In the US that’s 32kph/20mph for a class 1 e-bike. In Europe, it’s 25kph/15.5mph. The only time you’ll really notice the limit is if you’re cranking along right around that cutoff speed. When you hit the limit, the bike can suddenly feel heavy like you’re doing all the work which is actually the case. After reading the manual, it does looks like some of the stock settings can be adjusted, but I haven’t found a reason to mess with it.

The power assist is super smooth otherwise and you’ll find yourself smiling, like a lot. The particular bike I installed this on is my son’s single speed from State Bicycle. Here’s a before photo.

I had built a new wheel set for him a while back with a rear SRAM 2-speed kickback hub. It’s a cool system that switches between 2 gears by backpedaling momentarily. Pairing this with a front wheel motor worked great as you’re able to switch to an easier gear before a hill without cluttering up your handlebars with more controls. Here’s the after photo.

The only real issue I ran into is that the battery does not sleep if you leave it attached to the handlebar mount. The LEDs stay lit if the battery is mounted and over the course of (a very rainy) week it drained by 3/4. This does not happen if you remove it from the mount which is what you’ll need to do to charge it anyway. That process is as simple as connecting it to the included charger. The LEDs increment as the charge level increases. Expect charge times of around 1 hour for the Air battery pack and 2ish for the Max.

The Swytch system is honestly a bargain. It installs easily, even without a whole lot of bike knowledge and all but guarantees a big smile on your face. If you’ve already got a bike you like, this is an inexpensive way to get an e-bike with quality power components and one of the best battery configurations on the market all on the bike you already have. What’s not to like about that?

Price: ~$500 (depending on battery choice) Where to buy: Join the waitlist at swytchbike.com Source: The sample of this product was provided by swytchbike.com

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