By Elannah Boyce
With the hype of eBikes becoming increasingly more and more prevalent, for some the thought of an additional bike in the garage or forking out thousands for one is just not practical. Luckily there is a way to spruce up that old bike that’s been hanging around or your current favourite that you love to currently ride into an eBike. How you may ask? The Swytch kit!
Swytch are a UK based company that conceived the idea of the Swytch kit at the start of 2017 and then went on to fund it through Indiegogo, raising over $500,000. Swytch’s aim is to convert drivers in cyclists by turning their bikes into electric bikes, through this they hope to contribute to a more sustainable transport ecosystem and ultimately aiding to combat climate change (a Swytch kit has an environmental impact 8 times lower than most complete electric bicycles). The 2-in-1 nature of the kit allows the rider to choose whether to use their bikes as a standard bike or as an electric bike.
Features
The Swytch kit comes in both an ECO (180Wh) and a PRO version (252Wh) with a specialised Brompton kit that works alongside folding bikes such as Dahon or Tern for a fraction of the cost. With a top speed of 25/30kph and up to a 50km range the kit is a great choice for those commuting to work or heading out on a hilly ride where some assistance up the incline would be welcome.
The lightweight Swytch kit, weighing in at a total of 3kg, fits almost any bike and is very simple to attach – it’s a matter of ‘swytching’ out your current wheel for the Swytch motor wheel, fitting a pedal sensor and quickly connecting the bracket on the handle bars. Once this is complete you just click on your power pack (removable) and you are off! Believe it or not, the kit even works on a Penny Farthing!
The power pack is an integrated unit that homes the battery, system control and display in one neat, well-constructed, waterproof bag. The PRO pack additionally has a light built in too.
The team at Swytch are able to provide a one-to-one video call with their technical team, should you need it, to ensure that your experience is as easy as possible in addition to lifetime support and 1-year warranty.
Pricing
RRP starts at £999 for the Universal ECO kit (35km range) or £1250 for the Universal PRO kit (50km range) with immediate next day delivery available. You can purchase at:
Swytch’s online store: http://shop.swytchbike.com/
Swytch’s eBay store: https://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/swytchbike
Swytch also run a pre-order campaign every 2/3 months where you can pre-order the kit for 50% off the RRP. If you sign up on their website, you will be invited to the pre-order page as soon as the portal opens for orders. If you do choose to pre-order, there will be a 12 week wait for delivery due to the nature of the pre-order system.
The next pre-order portal will open at the end of March.
Sign up to pre-order: www.swytchbike.com
Where to find Swytch
Website: www.swytchbike.com
Instagram: @swytchbike
Twitter: @swytchbike
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/swytchbike/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/swytch-technology
