MILAN – When you don’t have enough budget to buy an electric bicycle, know that you can always transform the muscular one, which perhaps is in a dusty corner of the garage, with a DIY kit: it only takes a few moves and it is certainly much cheaper.
In recent years, the e-bike has been among the best-selling vehicles and, you won’t believe it, but another segment of the market that is making its way is precisely that of conversion kits, among many there is the English one by Swytch. We had talked about it in the past when the company was still a start-up, today it has been able to make its way along the path of electrification with its cutting-edge products and a good dose of word of mouth.
Here is the latest arrival on the market is the Swytch Go, it works more or less like its Air brother launched in 2022, but the battery pack and its housing have been improved and the price has been adjusted.
How the Swytch Go is made
The package with the bicycle electrification kit includes: a front wheel equipped with a 250 W hub motor – please note that the available sizes are 26, 27, 27.5, 28 and 29 inches – and a pedal cadence sensor that for Europe limits the kit to a speed of 25 km/h.
The novelty lies in the battery box, which in previous versions hung on the handlebars, while for the new one it is sufficient to house it along the upper tube of the frame using Velcro straps.
Regarding the capacity of the batteries, they are available from 187 Wh up to 378 Wh, with a range of between 20 and 60 km approximately, the cells are UL safety certified and the casing is IPX6 waterproof, able to support the bike in all weather conditions. The cockpit is an optional, you can choose Led or Oled and it is positioned on the handlebars, as is the accelerator.
Swytch CTO, Dimitro Khroma, in a statement, says: “By redesigning the battery pack with a larger form factor, embedding the power electronics inside the pack along with the battery, and designing a very simple mounting solution that uses Velcro straps to secure the battery pack anywhere on the bike, we were able to significantly lower the price. Furthermore, as an added bonus, the result was an ebike kit that was even easier and quicker to install and with a greater autonomy of up to 60 km”.
Info and costs
The Swytch Go, in addition to having received a Red Dot Design Award 2024, can be purchased on the dedicated website at a cost of 643.85 euros or pre-ordered to measure at a price of 321 euros.
