Turbocharge your two-wheeler with this new tech
On your bike
Globally, the number of bicycles gathering cobwebs in garages or under tarpaulins is estimated (by me) to be “loads”. My Dutch-style town bike hadn’t been ridden for about three years, but having transformed it into an ebike using the Swytch kit (essentially a few cables, a motorised wheel, a pedal sensor and a clip-on battery), I’m now slightly besotted with it. I also sense that my car may be experiencing twinges of jealousy.
Swytch has been around for a little while, but its most recent iteration has seen a number of improvements, the most significant being its ridiculously small power pack. It gives a 10-mile radius on one charge, weighs just 700g and can fit into a (big) pocket. That’s partly down to smaller cells packing a bigger punch, and partly down to the motor controller being moved from the battery itself to the handlebar mount. But in any case, the weight the Swytch kit adds to your bike is minimal in comparison to some of the hulking ebikes on the market.
Swytch Kit, from £449, swytchbike.comPart of the deal, however, is that you have to assemble it yourself. If you’re not adept at cycle maintenance this can feel daunting, particularly when you open the box to find several smaller boxes, a wheel and a 52-page manual. I confess that I baulked and sought assistance from my local repair shop, Braintree Bike Repairs. But while I was grateful for Matt’s help with moving the tyre and inner tube to the motor wheel, the whole process was comparable to (or easier than) assembling flat-pack furniture. “You could do this in your kitchen in an hour,” said Matt. “It’s idiot-proof. Everything’s labelled and colour-coded. You can’t put it together wrong.”
This story originally appeared on: Financial Times - Author:Rhodri Marsden
