kayakindude

Found an L bracket in my parts bin and shored up the sensor, which is working great. Long term I will anchor it a bit better but this should be good enough for light riding and test runs.

Tied in the wiring, which really doesn't look that bad, just like additional cables. Very happy with the look. Will make a list of pros and cons and probably break it down in my opening post so that newbies can avoid my additional adventures on the first kit. The good news is my wife's bike has plenty of clearance behind the crank so that should be smooth sailing.




The quick release works great, reminds me a lot of the brompton block system. A cover was provided for riding non-electric.

andychrist

You might want to run the motor cable on the outside of the fork so it can’t rub against the tire (as happened with mine. )

kayakindude

I put a request in for the PAS sensor that mounts directly to the arm to see how they respond. I looked through the support section and they have a nice feature offering video conferencing during the installation. On the down side the 1st appointment was 10 days away. They have a lot of support and guides and admittedly I pushed on without relying too much on them with mixed results.



Overall I found the PAS sensor system the most challenging. I would say it is critical to have the right one selected if you want to pop the system on and go. I probably lost 2 hours between researching how to modify the sensor that came with the kit and adjusting it to fit.

kayakindude

A follow up on the sensor. I asked Swytch for the PAS that mounts directly to the arm (can't hurt to ask) and they replied no problem 😁


So +1 for support after getting the product.

kayakindude

New PAS system arrived today.

Great that the company provides support like this since a lot of first timers look at this type of system. The arm attachment looks like it should work on any crank arm.

I do have the original PAS working, but can't hurt to try this setup.

kentpaul

switch is a lot of money...

kayakindude

I found the purchase price to be one of the bigger pros. That and the all in one package. Biggest con so far was getting the PAS working with an off center and flush crank arm. I have to imagine that no matter what I bought or put together the same hurdles would need to be overcome.

Any kit below 500 that introduces a rider to e-assist without sacrificing the ride is solid imho, but to each their own.

2old

I think it's a bargain especially to introduce individuals to "e". The aspect that turns me off is having anything other than brakes, shifters and light on my handlebars. Also of limited utility since I'm pretty much off road only and like mid-drives for that activity.

andychrist

Please don’t feed the spambots.

Is that for their [generally] greater torque?

Incidentally, my dual 500W hub drive e-cumbent performs amazingly well on steep unpaved surfaces, though as it lacks suspension have not yet dared test it on challenging single track. Climbs stairs like nothing but that’s in Walk mode without me sitting in it. FWD like Swytch probably helpful for that too but guess you’d still have to push the bike from the saddle to get the rear wheel up the steps, has anyone here tried that?

2old

For me, a mid-drive isn't hampered by heavy wheel weight and, therefore rides much better off road. Also, the motor coordinates well with gears effectively multiplying them. Finally, flat tires are changed much more easily. On the other hand, hubs are better for road surfaces IMO.

linberl

I think it's ironic that people who ride bikes and know full well different bikes do different things well - judged by huge stables of bikes - also think one type of electric drive works for everyone. E-systems are the same as bikes; they do different things well. A Swytch or other super light drive might work great on a roadie where you'd want a mid-drive on a mountain bike and maybe a hub motor on a hybrid (depending on your use). I see folks riding these incredibly heavy mid-drive fat tire bikes around on city streets and they're not very nimble; I'm sure they are fantastic off-road though. I'm hoping modular systems are coming.

2old

+1; E-bikes aren't "one type fits all" although some are capable of multi-use. I rode a Faraday (out of business, but light, well-manufactured front hub drives) and discovered it was pretty competent off road as well as a commuter.

linberl

I loved the way Faraday looked and if I didn't live where bike theft is rampant, I'd have considered one. The e-assist is very similar to my OM system (light, assist-focused, city range). But my stress levels over not having a bike to come back to moved me to folders and my Bike Friday with OM. But, damn, those were pretty bikes from Faraday! Blue Heron bikes near me sold them and they were drool worthy City Commuters.

2old

Faraday started with a successful crowd fund and seemed well on their way to a solid business, but failed ultimately. They were beautiful, light (40 pounds for the one I tested) and functional, but had problems AFAIK. The one we had for test had a battery malfunction after a month or so. This was problematic because they incorporated the battery into the down tube where it wasn't easily accessible. A friend had a couple in a high volume e-bike store, but they didn't sell. Arrividerci to an innovative company.

kayakindude

Weather finally cooperated in New England and was able to get a solid test in. It was about 45 degrees out and we rode 18 miles, clocking in on the hour.

Test was on the tandem pulling a trailer. Regular battery, the Pro model is still boxed. Pulling about 375 pounds between me, the wife, and dog. Assist was mainly on 3 out of 5. Battery after an hour was at 2 bars out of 5, so roughly 5 miles per bar.

I admit it was really nice to not be soaked in sweat with the cold wind hitting us. Motor was pretty solid. I cranked it up to 100% for a few miles as we worked through a 15mph headwind and it really helped to cut through it.

The motor does have a slight hum to it that is more noticeable if we are climbing. I was concerned with how 250 watts would impact so much weight. Really happy with how it performs. The single rider is going to be a blast.

Artmo 

Wow, after reading that saga, I’m sure glad I bought two Cytronex C1 systems; one for our tandem and one for a solo bike.
In their ordering system it requests a number of measurements for the bike, including front dropout clearance, including a template, type and size of wheel, etc.
Price is about the same as Swytch once all their discounts have been lifted, delivery is about three weeks to the USA, (UPS shipping three days) they do not charge 20% UK VAT and we have never had to pay import duty. Installation takes about 30 minutes. Their pre- and post- sales service is very responsive; usually within 24 hours. In addition, there is an app through which adjustments can be made and diagnostics can be sent to the company. The troubleshooting website page is outstanding.
Battery/controller is on down tube, so handling not affected and weight of the system is about the same as Swytch.

Doc_Wui

I like that PAS magnet that mounts to the crank arm. In doing kit conversions, more of them than I have fingers to count. the PAS sensor and magnet were often a pain. I never had a bike where I could fit the round metal bracket on the BB. I typically fashioned my own bracket for the sensor. Then I bought the all-in-one integrated PAS sensor. Didn't have enough gap between the BB and the pedal arms. The arms would crash the sensor and not be able to turn. On some bikes, I had to gut the inside of the magnet ring and attach it to the crank gear,

It's all in a days work for a DYI guy, but bamboozles a lot of newbie kit builders, including the SWYTCH customers. That shows initiative to fix things for them.

linberl

I don't know why they don't do the PAS controller the way One Motor does. It's a distinct unit that you mount on the crank (with a magnetized mounting bracket with zip ties). A single piece that doesn't require removing the cranks. Fully bluetooth. for most systems it wouldn't even need the easily removed bracketing system; it could be a permanent mount (only OM is easily moved to multiple bikes). I don't get why it can't be done that way on other bikes. Is there some reason they HAVE to make them so you have to jump through those installation hoops? Especially when the rest of the Swytch system screams "i'm good for newbies".

kayakindude

No doubt that was the biggest hurdle, one that the universal mount would have eliminated. That being said I have yet to swap it in after getting the original setup dialed in. Been riding with the system for close to 6 months and very happy with it.

It helps on the hills nicely with dragging the pooch I have to imagine on a single it would be more than enough power. On the tandem it bumps us up by about 2-3 mph on average. Trying to use it only as needed and we just covered 50 miles on the last 2 rides and still have one bar on the pack. The handlebar mounting has not been an issue at all but I am used to a brompton bag on my folder, I imagine it could bother someone on a carbon racer but I think this targets a more basic mountain or hybrid frame.

One thing I really like is the simple power adjustment on the power pack, it is easy to adjust the assist based on what we are approaching and most of the time on the flat I just leave the system on and the power set to zero.

Still have to install the pro kit at some point but the wife keeps insisting she only wants to ride the tandem so her bike remains on the indoor trainer. I will probably charge the pro pack and rotate it onto the tandem to see the range difference.