The Startup Swytch Bike Can Transform Almost Any Bicycle Into An E-bike
According to an article by Bloomberg's Ira Boudway published on Wednesday, Swytch Bike, a startup headquartered in London, sells components that can transform bicycle into an e-bike.
Author:Paula M. GrahamReviewer:Rhyley CarneyJan 02, 20234.2K Shares98.9K Views
According to an article by Bloomberg's Ira Boudway published on Wednesday, Swytch Bike, a startup headquartered in London, sells components that can transform bicycle into an e-bike.
Boudway put the straightforward gear to the test and reported back on his findings. As e-bikes have grown more popular, conversion kits have become increasingly specialist. Yet Swytch has a far broader audience in mind: everyone who rides a bike.
All of the company's kits, which retailed last autumn for between $500 (for a 98Wh battery) and $800 (for a 180Wh battery), were purchased. Individuals may get in on the e-bike craze with little effort, expense, and environmental impact by using these simple kits.
Rubbee X
The Rubbee X, created by the Lithuanian business Rubbee, is an electric bike conversion kit that is cheap (at $580), easy to put together, and aesthetically pleasing.
The X can accommodate up to two additional battery modules, each of which may be bought separately for around $99. The additional batteries boost your maximum speed from 16 mph to 20 mph and your maximum assisted range from 10 mi to 30 mi.
Even at full battery strength, the X does not significantly increase the weight of your bike, coming in at 8.8 pounds with all three batteries installed (other e-bike conversion kits may add as much as 20 pounds).
When handled in one hand, the X recalls a portable vacuum. Putting it on your bike is as easy as bolting an aluminum bracket to the base of the seat post. Attaching the X to that bracket will allow it to hang from the rack behind your bike's tire.
A button on the X's top activates its pedal assist mode. Once it has positioned itself under your tire, its engine will begin to rotate, propelling your vehicle forward.
The electronic components of the Rubbee conversion kit are managed by a tiny wireless sensor that is fastened to the pedal crank. The rate at which the X's motor spins is dependent on the information it receives about when you're pedaling, how fast you're pedaling, and how fast the bike is going.
For instance, if you're pedaling quickly but the bike is moving slowly, the X will interpret this as an indication that you're climbing a hill and respond accordingly. You won't get much help from the X if you're hardly peddling but still making good time.
Wireless e-bike conversion kit? Rubbee X Overview - Unboxing, installation and test ride !
Very Simple To Do
“„It's really easy to do. And it'll save you a lot of money.- Oliver Montague, Swytch co-founder and Chief Executive Officer
During his time as an engineering student at Oxford University in 2012, Montague founded the firm that would later become known for its innovative transformation kits. He launched a microbusiness manufacturing and marketing e-bikes and conversion kits on the World Wide Web.
As a result of his endeavor, he now has hundreds of different hardware items on hand, all of which are designed to fit various makes, styles, and sizes of bicycles.
“„The problem that drove me to the first version of the Swytch kit prototype was just trying to simplify my online shop.- Oliver Montague, Swytch co-founder and Chief Executive Officer
Montague's now-wife Hayley, age 40, and chief technical officer Dmitro Khroma, age 27, helped him launch Swytch five years later with the aid of a successful crowdfunding campaign.
Swytch has collected roughly $6 million to far and plans to launch about 30,000 devices in 2018. As of now, there are about 70 people working for the firm, and annual sales are somewhere around $20 million.
An Easy To Use Experience
In his paper, Boudway attested to the veracity of Montague's assertion that anybody who can replace a bicycle tire can utilize a Swytch kit. According to Boudway, the Swytch kit is simply removable, and the motorcycle may be ridden even if the engine is not running.
“„I managed to install the kit on my own. I bolted on Swytch's front wheel, which has a 250-watt motor in the hub; mounted the battery rack to my handlebars using a hex wrench; attached the stick-on pedal sensor to my bike's frame; zip-tied the corresponding magnetic disc to one pedal crank; mounted the controller on the handlebars; attached all the wires to the battery mount and zip-tied them all along the bike's frame.- Ira Boudway, Bloomberg
“„With full-on electric bikes, if the battery's dead, you're never going to ride that thing. With a Swytch bike, if you take the battery off, it's still a bike. It weighs the same, rides the same, handles the same.
In addition to the usefulness of his kits, Montague also noted that building your own e-bike is a lot of fun and a satisfying hobby.
Final Words
The Rubbee X has been called "louder and more complicated" than other converted e-bike systems since it spins over the tire, but it is also cheaper than a genuine e-bike and as easy and inexpensive as conversion kits go.
That might make it a great choice for someone who wants to take advantage of an e-bike but doesn't want to spend thousands of dollars on one, and its straightforward design could also appeal to people who don't want to spend an entire day putting together a complex e-bike conversion kit.
Paula M. Graham
Author
Rhyley Carney
Reviewer
Latest Articles
Popular Articles